Denise Welch revealed she felt 'ridiculous' after scammers stole £2,000 from her bank after catching her out with a cruel trick. 

The Loose Women star, 66, opened up on Good Morning Britain on Monday about being scammed over the phone and urged ITV viewers not to make the same mistake.

The TV star revealed she lost thousands when she picked up the phone convinced she was talking to the Barclays fraud squad - but it was actually an impersonator.

Speaking to hosts Ranvir Singh and Ed Balls, Denise revealed she was busy at the time when the phone call came in and she saw the caller ID said Barclays and believed it was legit and wanted to get the issue sorted quickly. 

She recalled: 'It was a few years ago, it was pre-pandemic, and I was rehearsing a show - Calendar Girls: The Musical. We weren't supposed to look at our phones or take personal phone calls. We all have a sneaky look and there was Barclays call.

'I went out, took the phone call and they said, it's the fraud squad. They said there was some fraudulent activity going on with your card, and we want to put a stop to it. 

'I had absolutely zero doubt that I was talking to the fraud department from my bank because it had come up under the headline of Barclays that I had put into my phone.'

Revealing how she was taken in by the man, she admitted it wasn't until the fifth call when she made the huge mistake.

She explained: 'I was talking to this chap called Michael. I remember him, he was obviously very personable. And I went through, over a series of about four phone calls, all of the information you are duly expected to give. 

'It was my full name, my date of birth, my address and postcode and my mother's maiden name - again, didn't hesitate because it said Barclays.

'So over about four phone calls, Michael had become my best friend and he said it was taking a long time to do this because this was a fraud that was potentially going to be bigger than they thought. 

'This is where anybody watching this will be shouting, well, that's on you. How stupid of you. They then said, on about the fifth phone call, we're going to have to ask for your four digit pin.

'Now, even I know that you don't give your pin away, but because I was talking to the fraud department at Barclays, I did. And the next day, I mentioned this to my husband, who went absolutely spare'.

She revealed: 'They had cloned my credit card and by the time we had discovered it they had taken over £2k from my account.

'If I had been sat at home and this was happening it may have not happened but because I was at work I just wanted it sorting. I felt ridiculous about it.'

When asked for her advice, Denise said: 'In my opinion, do not give your information to anybody unless you can somehow be 100% sure.

'Ring them back. Anybody that's calling you, even though you may have spoken to that person before, say, do you know something? You've called me.'

According to EE, research has shown that 40% of crimes committed across the UK are fraud based and almost all phone users are affected by nuisance calls on a regular basis.

The phone network revealed it blocks around fifteen million suspicious calls and texts before they can reach the intended victim. 

EE has blocked more than 84 million scam attempts in the first six months of 2024, twice the number in the comparable period of 2023.

It comes after Denise confirmed son Matt Healey's engagement to model Gabbriette Bechtel after a whirlwind romance. 

Denise, who first met Gabbriette five months into the romance, gushed: 'We couldn't be happier. She is everything I would want in a daughter in law.'

She explained that the couple had broken the news to their loved ones 'a few weeks' ago.

'I have known for a few weeks that Matty got engaged,' she told her co-stars. 'They went over to see their friends Charli and George in New York.'

'I woke up this morning to the fact they’ve put it on Instagram. Instagram official, he has got engaged to Gabbriette. She is from Los Angeles, she is absolutely gorgeous,' before bizarrely adding: 'She does have a rat.'

The proud mum revealed that Matty had the distinctive ring custom made, gushing:  'Black diamond, he had it made for her and 'couldn’t be more thrilled.' 

Gabbriette heavily hinted she is 'marrying' the 1975 singer in June- after their whirlwind nine month romance.

The singer and model, 26, sparked engagement rumours after she posted a picture on Instagram of her wearing a £10,000 black diamond ring on her wedding finger.

To add to the speculation, Gabbriette tagged Matty's social media account and wrote: 'MARRYING THE 1975 IS VERY B*** @trumanblack'