Move aside, Imelda Staunton! It has been revealed that Loose Women star Denise Welch is set to portray the late Queen in a new project – and we couldn't be more excited to see her in action!
The 65-year-old is set to star opposite Kerry Ellis and Maiya Quansah-Breed in the show Diana the Musical. After a successful run on Broadway, the show is coming to the UK – with Denise signing on to play the Queen.
The musical looks at the life of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and a filmed version of the musical is also available on Netflix – in case you would love a preview! The UK-based show will be a concert version of the musical, with Maiya and Kerry playing a younger and older version of the Princess respectively.
It is set to be staged in December at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith – so watch this space! Sharing the news on Instagram, Denise wrote: "Diana. In concert. Eventim Apollo. December 4th."
Katie Piper replied: "Iconic as always," while another fan added: "Errm wow?"
Fans also reacted to the news on Twitter, with Denise quickly trending on the social media platform. One person wrote: "Denise Welch as the queen is something i never thought i would read," while another person added: "Denise Welch playing The Queen?! You really can't make it up... two tickets, please!"
A third person added: "DENISE WELCH IS PLAYING THE QUEEN WHAT IS HAPPENING WHAT UNIVERSE ARE WE LIVING IN THIS IS UNMISSABLE Also Kerry Ellis as Princess Di. Can you even."
2023 is set to be a very busy year for Denise, as she also revealed that she will be taking part in the Loose Women tour in September. Announcing the news, she set her post to the tune of Theo Van Der Linden's "We're Going Underground" and wrote: "We're going underground!!!! @loosewomen live tour September!! Get the girls together for a fab night out!!! Guys welcome too of course as we all know we're your guilty pleasure!!"
Of course, the star is also regularly appearing on Loose Women, and recently got into a heated debate with her co-star Jane Moore over Prince Harry's phone hacking case. When Jane said that she couldn't be sure if journalists did hack Harry's phone, Denise replied: "And that is a journalist's viewpoint, and one of my best friends… I trust you implicitly, but I don't trust many of your colleagues."
She added: "They might not be hacking his phone, but they are absolutely crucifying him and his wife on a daily basis. The hatred is off the scale… To me, even if he doesn’t prove it, I don't think there is one person… who actually believes that it didn't happen on an industrial scale."