Denise Welch was forced to deny that she's a conspiracy theorist during today's edition of Loose Women thanks to an awkward exchange with co-star Coleen Nolan.
The former Coronation Street actress, 64, was discussing her fears for the future of the NHS amid the news millions across the country are struggling to get a GP appointment.
After Denise stressed how much pressure the state-funded service is under, and admitted she's been forced to use a private GP, it was time for Coleen to add her thoughts to the debate - but not before branding her co-star 'a conspiracy theorist'.
The latest Loose Women debate comes as it's revealed the GP system is on the brink of collapse after hundreds of doctors confessed they are cutting hours because they can’t afford to heat their surgery.
More than one in 10 self-employed GPs – called partners – have been forced to reduce the time they see patients due to soaring energy bills, which may be one of the reasons people are struggling to nab an appointment at their local surgery.
Speaking about the crisis on Loose Women today, Denise delivered a passionate argument for funding the NHS alongside admitting the online booking system for her local GP isn't suited to her.
The Waterloo Road star stressed how she is tech-savvy but finds booking an appointment online impossible and admitted she's been forced to see a private GP due to the changes.
Denise went on to show her support for doctors and nurses under pressure and implied the crisis is due to the current government's refusal to adequately fund the NHS.
After Denise finished her plea, it was time for Coleen to offer her thoughts - starting off saying: "Unlike Denise, I'm not a conspiracy theorist."
As her fellow panelist made the cheeky jibe, Denise looked unimpressed and declared: "I'm not a conspiracy theorist."
"Just watching Loose Women. Why does Colleen Nolan feel it ok to call @RealDeniseWelch a conspiracy theorist? Thank goodness there are people on tv who take time to actually research both sides. I wear my tin hat too Denise," one viewer wrote on Twitter as the awkward moment aired.
Since 2020 Denise has won fans - and gained critics - for her strong opinions about the government’s handling of the ongoing pandemic that she often shares on social media and when appearing on Loose Women.
When asked by the Mirror last year if she sometimes ever regrets being outspoken, she confessed she does "almost every single day" due to how people "spin things".
But she maintains she was always well-informed prior to ever opening her mouth on-air - silencing critics who sarcastically mocked her knowledge and insight into all things Covid over recent years.
"I was incredibly informed and was always backed up by data," Denise recalls. "I was never a conspiracy theorist and I spoke to some of the most clever, intelligent people in the world.
"Before I said one thing on Loose Women - I wasn’t going to name those people - but I would always show my producers the text conversations we had.
"So they knew that when people were on Twitter saying ‘Oh lets listen to Professor Welch who says she’s talking to an epidemiologist’ I actually was.
"It was when I couldn’t go in an ambulance with my dad but people could go to a football match, that’s when… Not having it again. Not going through it again."
*Loose Women airs weekdays from 12.30pm on ITV
