Carol McGiffin is returning to Loose Women after five-year absence

Presenter Carol McGiffin is returning to Loose Women after a five-year absence from the lunchtime show.

After leaving the show back in 2013, Carol, 58, is set to return to the show as a guest panellist.

Despite being one of the original Loose Women team and appearing on over 1,000 episodes, she wasn’t even invited to the programme’s 18th birthday celebrations, after she allegedly fell out with the current team.

However, things appear to have been patched up because the opinionated presenter will be back on ITV1 daytime, after she said: ‘Almost exactly five years ago I did my last show on Loose Women, and I have to admit I’ve really missed it – in more ways than one – so I’m absolutely delighted to be back on the show next week.’

‘I’m a bit nervous, but mostly I’m excited to be sitting behind that desk again with the girls, doing what I do best – talking rubbish!’ she said about her big comeback.

One of the show’s hosts Nadia Sawalha, 53, announced Carol’s imminent return and claimed she was excited for the outspoken star to be back in the thick of it.

Sally Shelford, the show’s editor, said: ‘Carol has played an important part in the show’s 19-year history and is a much-loved part of the Loose family.

‘We’re in a celebratory mood having recently marked 3,000 episodes, so it seemed like the perfect time to invite Carol back onto the panel for a catch up and to hear some of those famous opinions once again.’

Both Carol and LW alumni Denise Welch, 60, were snubbed for the show’s 18th anniversary party, which apparently left them both upset. A source at HuffPo said: ‘Denise and Carol are both sad to have not been invited to join in with Loose Women’s 18th birthday celebrations.

‘While they have both moved on since leaving the show, it still holds very fond memories for them both. So for them to see their time on the panel together had been almost entirely airbrushed out of the special episode was hurtful.’

Since LW, Carol’s appeared on Channel 5’s The Wright Stuff, the host has battled breast cancer in 2015, having successfully fought off the disease and undergoing a mastectomy.

Catch Loose Women weekdays, from 12.30pm, on ITV1.

Read more:

Mel B says the Spice Girls WILL reform to tour

Bryan Adams addresses rumours of his affair with Princess Diana

Gemma Collins boasts about taking private jet – gets exposed for using stock photo