Janet Street-Porter was back on Loose Women today after a month's absence following a successful hip operation
Janet Street-Porter has joyfully made her comeback on Loose Women after a month's absence.
The veteran broadcaster lit up the studio once again today, taking her place with fellow panellists Ruth Langsford, Coleen Nolan and Kelly Holmes. Today marked Janet's first appearance since getting a hip replacement operation - a procedure she had been nervous about - but she revealed she is recovering well.
Chatting away on today's episode, she said: "I'm back! I can stand up, sit down, do a lot of things actually. I've been doing my exercises every day ... Honestly, I got through the first few horrible days - and the first day, I went to the loo and it took longer than I thought and I said to the nurse, I'm not gonna get there, and she said you need to do it.
"Then I went and did a lot of rehabilitation that specialises in that. Every morning, I did half an hour; I went to the therapy pool. I struggled to sleep because you have to sleep on your back in a narrow bed but I got over it."
Detailing her further struggles, she continued: "When you've had a general anaesthetic, one of the side effects is brain fog. I'll read the paper and then forget where I read, and that was very distressing. Mornings were hydrotherapy, and walking up and down, afternoons were physiotherapy."
She had disclosed her plans for surgery a month prior, signalling a temporary pause from her role on the show.
During her last appearance for a while, host Christine Lampard remarked: "Janet this is your last day for a little while because you are heading off for the operation, the one you have been waiting for a while," to which Janet responded: " Yes, on Friday I am heading off to have a hip replacement operation at last and I can't think about anything else."
She continued with palpable anxiety: "As I'm sitting here, I'm shaking and shivering and I keep dreaming about it. I keep thinking 'what if they can't get it back together'. I am going on Friday, I'll have the operation Friday afternoon, stay in hospital for a few days then I'll really work on it at rehab so I can come back as soon as possible."
Janet also admitted to feeling vulnerable about the upcoming surgery, saying: "I am vulnerable and you know what it's my own fault because they told me in March to have it done but I delayed it but then at the weekend I have some vegetables delivered and even though I shouldn't I was on all fours planting them."
*Loose Women airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX at 12.30pm.
