Gloria Hunniford shared a health update with Loose Women viewers on Tuesday, January 10. Appearing on the daytime television show, the panellist explained she had been absent from the ITV1 programme after suffering from kidney stones, kidney sepsis and a chest infection.
The 82-year-old was welcomed back by Linda Robson, Janet Street-Porter and Ruth Langsford, who explained her co-star had been "very unwell" before Gloria shared with the audience what had happened.
"People might just assume that you've been away, been on holiday, but you've actually been very unwell," Ruth said, as Gloria responded: "To see the audience, to see all you girls, I'm really happy to be here."
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Turning to the audience, Gloria then said her health scare started with a bout of kidney stones. She explained: "A specialist says to you 'oh it's fine, we just put a camera up and we put a laser up and we blast the stones, blast them to dust and then the dust comes out and that's it,' so you think it sounds very simple... wrong, in my case anyway."
Revealing she didn't feel herself for three weeks, Gloria said: "Then they say when they take the stent out you'll feel fantastic and I'm thinking thank goodness for that."
But things then took a turn, with Gloria explaining: "Next thing I knew I was being carted off to A&E because they couldn't get my blood pressure up above 73 which is very low."
Gloria went on to say she wasn't far away from "being critical" before adding: "I'm making this all to be very dramatic." Interjecting, Ruth simply replied: "No, but it was."
"And then I had kidney sepsis and a chest infection, so I had it all," Gloria continued. "People have been ill over Christmas, I know that, but with me, it was like somebody had turned a tap.
"You know me I run around and like to be busy, but it was like somebody had turned a tap and had taken all my energy away, and so it has taken me a week or two to get better."
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