On Monday’s episode of Loose Women, the popular ITV show had a special segment dedicated to soap operas. Emmerdale’s Lucy Pargeter made a guest appearance as a panellist, joining Ruth Langsford, Nadia Sawalha, and Denise Welch. Denise, who is no stranger to soaps herself, having appeared in Coronation Street for three years, was excited to be reunited with her former co-star Philip Middlemiss, who played the role of Des Barnes.
During their time on Coronation Street, viewers witnessed Natalie Barnes, played by Denise, marry Des Barnes, portrayed by Philip. Unfortunately, their marriage was short-lived as Des tragically passed away just four weeks after their wedding. However, the two actors were able to reminisce about their time on the show when they reunited on Loose Women this week.
Denise and Philip embraced each other in a warm hug, with Denise exclaiming, “Look at him! He doesn’t look any different.” Philip jokingly replied, “I’ve dyed my hair white!” It’s been over two decades since their time on Coronation Street, and both actors have undergone some changes. Philip now sports short white hair, a far cry from his iconic brown curls on the show.
Denise shared that she and Philip instantly hit it off on set, partly because they both hail from the North East of England. Their constant laughter and joking around often got them into trouble with the directors. Reflecting on his character’s exit from the soap, Philip revealed that he wanted Des to go out with a bang. He recalled a scene where Des, on his deathbed, apologizes to Natalie and expresses his regret for not being able to take her up the tower in Blackpool.
The Loose Women panel burst into laughter as Denise revealed that they had to take a lunch break during filming because they couldn’t stop laughing. Fans of Coronation Street were delighted to see Philip back on their screens and took to Twitter to express their excitement. One user, @SallyPrice4, praised Philip’s acting skills and reminisced about his character Des, while another user, @dordidee, simply expressed their joy at seeing him on TV again.
Coronation Street airs on ITV on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 8pm. If you want to stay updated with news from the Daily Express, you can sign up for news notifications.
