Denise Welch and Lorraine Kelly noticeably absent from NTAs in night of surprise wins

Denise Welch, Lorraine Kelly and Ruth Langsford were among the famous faces noticeably absent from Tuesday night’s star-studded NTAs.

The Geordie Loose Women panellist, 65, revealed in the eleventh hour that she’d been forced pull out of joining her fellow presenters due to a “lovely eye infection.”

Posting a photo of a painful-looking swollen eye to her Instagram page, Denise wrote, “Due to a lovely eye infection I can’t join my fellow @LooseWomen at the @officialntas. Good luck to our fabulous team and I’ll be keeping my one eye on you”.

The ITV show was up for the Best Daytime programme against ITV's This Morning, The Chase and the BBC's The Repair Shop – which took home the gong in what was considered a 'snub' to the Holly Willoughby-fronted show.

Lorraine, 63, skipped the awards to spend a special evening with her husband Steve Smith as they celebrated their 31st wedding anniversary.

The couple recently enjoyed an adventure-packed holiday to Zimbabwe before Lorraine returned to presenting her ITV show.

While most of the ITV family were enjoying the red carpet treatment at the The O2 on Tuesday night for the 2023 awards, Lorraine and Steve enjoyed a quieter night together, with Lorraine posting an adorable picture of the pair on her Instagram. She wrote, "Happy Anniversary to my funny, fabulous husband @stevesmithdundee He had put up with me for THIRTY ONE YEARS. #happyanniversary."

Fellow Loose Women star Ruth, 63, was also missing from the red carpet as she's recovers from a debilitating chest infection that's seen her miss work for over a week and be put on antibiotics.

She's been keeping fans updated with her progress on her social media accounts, posting videos of her using a nebuliser and making 'hot toddies'.

"Thank you to everyone sending me home made remedies for this damn chest infection and cough," she posted on her Instagram page earlier this week. "Managed to get fresh turmeric….be VERY careful peeling it, it stains your fingers (& worktop!) bright yellow…so I wear gloves!"

While The Repair Shop win was arguably the biggest surprise of the night, it was a case of history repeating itself as Geordie due Ant & Dec were crowned Best Presenter(s) for the 22nd year in a row, leaving Alison Hammond empty handed.

Emotions ran high as former EastEnders actress Danielle Harold took home the Serial Drama Performance win for her portrayal of Lola Pearce, who died in scenes aired in May after being diagnosed with a devastating brain tumour.

The young star – who was in the soap for over a decade – was surrounded by her co-stars, who all jumped up and celebrated with her.

Speaking after her win, Danielle told OK! the emotional storyline has made her want to "live every moment".

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