Sue Cleaver has spoken candidly about her relationship with fellow Loose Women panellist Denise Welch. The Coronation Street veteran has bid a fond farewell to her iconic role as Eileen Grimshaw, exiting the cobbles behind for new adventures now that her last appearance aired on 6 June. Speaking candidly with Love Sunday, the Hertfordshire-born star is all about “embracing change and living fearlessly” at the age of 61. The seasoned actress is a familiar face on Loose Women as well, which is set for some notable shake-ups including bidding farewell to the studio audience this January due to widespread ITV cost reductions. The on-screen star admitted the panel often make headlines for rumoured “catfights” but confirmed there are no backstage spats, even when the panel are in disagreement.

“I love that show. It’s brilliant. I’ve known all the girls for years, so, yeah,” she remarks when probed about her desire for more panel slots now that she has a lighter schedule. And what does she make of the rumours of backstage spats? “They always like to say ‘catfights’, but they only say that about women, don’t they? They wouldn’t dream of saying that when it’s blokes presenting something. Actually we’re very tight. But it happens a lot when Denise [Welch] and I are on together.”

She continued: “We’ve known each other for 25 years – we’re close friends and have a sort of shorthand in the way we communicate. The media will spin it as ‘massive fallout’, but I’ve never had a quarrel with Denise in my entire life! It’s really sad that things are still spun this way; it’s disheartening we’ve yet to move past this narrative.”

Privately, Sue has been dealing with a personal health struggle. Having managed Type 2 diabetes for nearly three decades, she likens its impact on her life to enduring “a mental marathon, every single day”.

Over the past three years, she’s managed to alleviate some of her mental burden by using a Dexcom Continuous Glucose Monitor, which delivers automatic glucose readings without the need for finger-pricking.

Sue Cleaver joined by panellists Denise Welch and Linda Robson (Image: ITV)