Denise Welch has shared a heartbreaking statement as she marked her 68th birthday. While the occasion is normally one of celebration, the Loose Women panellist reflected on a huge loss in her life as it also marked the 14th anniversary of her mum's death.

Posting to Instagram, the Waterloo Road star shared a sweet image of her and her mum, Annie, together with their arms around each other, smiling into the camera. She captioned the picture, emotionally writing: "Today, May 22nd, is my birthday. I'm very grateful to be here and have the life that I have." Denise went on to explain: "It's also the day that my mum, Annie, died 14 years ago. People always feel sorry for me when I say that.

"But to me, on the 22nd May I came into this world holding on to my mum. And on the 22nd May she left this world holding on to me. It's a beautiful circle of life."

When she was first diagnosed in 1991, Annie was told she could have just 12 months to live. She underwent a successful 13-hour-long surgery to remove the tumours and was doing well for 10 years.

But then in 2001 she received devastating news as doctors found new tumours at a regular check-up.

Speaking to Cancer Research about her mum's death, Denise previously said: "Even when it was really bad mum refused to admit she was in pain. Her mouth would be covered in ulcers but she never complained once. She was like that.

"Always putting her family first. I think I got a little complacent – we all did – because we had her for so long after her first diagnosis. I remember going to see her a few weeks before she left us and she looked like a different woman. It was then that it hit me that she didn’t have long left.”

She added: "She saw me overcome my problems with alcohol and met Lincoln, my husband, which means a huge amount to me. I’m so happy that when she passed she knew we were all OK. Doctors, scientists and research gave us that time and for that I’m eternally grateful."