Gloria Hunniford has been left “devastated” after an accident left her unable to take part in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations as planned.
The 82-year-old Loose Women host had a fall over the weekend ahead of the Party at the Palace celebrations on Saturday, Ruth Langsford told ITV viewers on Monday.
The Loose Women host shared the news at the start of the show, alongside fellow panellists Sophie Morgan, Denise Welch and Coleen Nolan.
As the Loose Women chatted over their highlights during the Jubilee celebrations, Ruth said: “Someone who I was very sad not to see there at the pageant yesterday was our very own Gloria Hunniford, she was supposed to be on the National Treasures bus with her great friend Sir Cliff Richard.
“She was so looking forward to it and she was supposed to be on the panel today, so thank you very much to Denise for stepping in.”
She continued: “But sadly, Gloria had a fall. She was being interviewed on the BBC on Saturday, then had a fall Saturday night and couldn’t go to the pageant.
“Absolutely devastating. She’s fine. She’s okay.”
Denise, who replaced Gloria on the panel on Monday, explained that she had hurt her leg, arm and face on one side of her body.
Ruth added: “She’s so upset, but she’s going to join us on the phone and have a chat.
“Gloria, we’re sending you lots of love and looking forward to talking to you later on.”
The TV presenter, 81, has a career spanning more than four decades and is a regular panellist on ITV's lunch time talk show Loose Women.
Gloria also showcased her singing skills after taking part in The Masked Singer under the disguise of the Snow Leopard.
Whilst she is still fearless when it comes to challenging herself, Gloria has suggested that her health has been of concern in the past, particularly at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
She told the Belfast Telegraph in early 2020 that she was "classified as pre-diabetic," with her adding that she would be "cautious" in the pandemic.
She has previously spoken about receiving the diagnosis, which prompted the TV presenter to alter her lifestyle in a bid to prevent developing type 2 diabetes in around 2013.
Writing in a column for the Mirror in 2016, she said it was during an annual blood test three years earlier that her doctor had informed her that she was pre-diabetic.
The term means that the patient's "blood sugars are higher than usual, but not high enough" to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, according to the leading charity Diabetes UK.
Loose Women airs weekdays at 12.30pm on ITV
