Denise Welch has confirmed that she is not dead following rumours of her being in a deadly hot air balloon crash. On Saturday, unsubstantiated reports spread, alleging that the 66-year-old TV personality had "gone missing" in a hot air balloon.

The reports stated that Denise had been embarking on a scenic route across the English Channel, when it allegedly disappeared from sight over France, near Calais. The star humourously reposted an article that was headlined: "Hot Air Balloon Carrying Denise Welch Disappears En Route from the UK to France," to her Instagram Stories.

She comedically mocked the post, saying: "Thank goodness they found me!!!" followed by several laughing emojis. In her next post, the ITV favourite continued to poke fun at the rumours, as she shared a picture of a Simpsons character waving from a hot air balloon.

Denise then reposted a tweet from X (formerly Twitter) that read: "Lady Gaga begins search for Denise Welch and the lost hot air balloon herself - "I am looking for Densy" she said." She jokingly captioned the post, writing: "There's hope for me yet!!"

She also posted a video from a fan as they floated a cut out hot air balloon across their living room, as she thanked them for tracking her journey. And, in a final post from the night, Denise posted a clip with Gabbriette, strutting toward the camera with the text: "When you've been missing for hours above France in a balloon!!"

Fans on Twitter joined in on the fun. One wrote: "I can't believe Denise Welch went missing just before mothering Sunday it's just so sad. At least the clocks go forward tonight so they've got one less hour of suffering, wherever they are."

Another added: "Devastating news about Denise Welch going missing in the hot air balloon. Only last week she was talking about 'the trip of a lifetime' on Loose Women. This is why you can’t take every day for granted." A third quipped: "I live on the 14th floor of a tower block and I’m sure I just saw Denise Welch float past in a hot air balloon."

Her Wikipedia page was also temporarily updated to say that she had "disappeared" and was last seen "somewhere over Pyrenees, France."