Loose Women's Gloria Hunniford on how Dale Winton really died

Gloria Hunniford opened up on Loose Women about her dear friend Dale Winton, dispelling the rumours that he took his own life.

The beloved TV host was keen to clarify that despite widespread speculation, Supermarket Sweep host Dale's death in April 2018 was due to natural causes, as confirmed by the coroner.

A month after the news of Dale's passing, she recounted on Loose Women how even Dale's assistant had seen him shortly before his passing, highlighting the suddenness of his death.

Gloria shared: "So many people say: 'It's such a shame that he committed suicide,' but he had quite a sad life when you look back."

She reflected on the tragedies in Dale's life, including the loss of his father at 15 and his mother's suicide when he was just 21, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Gloria emphasised the importance of setting the record straight: "I think it's so sad when people think he took his own life, what actually happened is he had his assistant in the house and she said he had a cup of coffee and a chat and he said: 'I'm not feeling great so i'll go upstairs and have a bath,' and she found him sadly dead in bed."

During her appearance, Gloria also showed the Loose Women panel the order of service from Dale's funeral, which featured a photo of him relaxing in Florida, where he spent much of his time.

She fondly remembered his funeral, likening it to "a wedding" because of its celebratory nature, and mentioned David Walliams' touching tribute where he read out a song as a poem.

Gloria added: "It's sad when you say about his funeral - he did have these times of loneliness but there were all these people there for him and it was a beautiful ceremony."

She concluded with a sense of warmth, noting that Dale would have loved the joyful atmosphere of his send-off, saying: "He would have adored it because it had the atmosphere almost of a wedding - it was definitely a celebration."

Gloria also expressed her belief that his life could have been enhanced if he had found a significant other.

She shared: "But Dale really at the back of it all was quite lonely he had never made a life partner and I think he always regretted that and it would have been lovely for him to have shared his life with somebody and that's where the depression came in."