Denise Welch has issued a passionate plea to Boris Johnson and Oliver Dowden to 'keep theatres alive' as venues, performers and behind the scenes staff still face an uncertain future due to the coronavirus pandemic.
While non-essential shops are now open; Premier League football has resumed; bars, restaurants and hairdressers have all been given the green light to open this weekend and some cinemas have revealed plans to re-open soon, music venues and theatres remain closed with little idea of when they'll be able to welcome audiences again.
Newcastle's own Theatre Royal has now shelved all performances until the end of November and this week Geordie producer Michael Harrison has gave a warning about the theatre's annual pantomime, and others around the country, going ahead as other pantos start to be cancelled.
Two weeks ago, Denise hit out at the Government over rumours singing was going to be banned in theatres, tweeting: "Govt says no singing in theatres in case of spreading. What about no talking in f.....g Primark!!!"
And now, she has asked for the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Culture's help in safeguarding the arts, using a clip of a packed Sunday for Sammy performance as her example of how much joy they bring to people.
The former Coronation Street actress posted: "Please @BorisJohnson @OliverDowden. Help us keep our theatres & venues alive. We are facing a mental health crisis and without live theatre, acting, music, dancing, singing, people will go under.
"We are better at this than anywhere else in the world"
Her emotional tweet has received the backing of many followers, with one replying: "Well said Denise we do need our theatres, mental health is hard to live with, take our theatres and we have nothing," and another reacting: "The whole entertainment industry is being murdered."
Denise's post was retweeted by her ex-husband and fellow Sunday for Sammy stalwart Tim Healy, with his own followers reacting to it in their droves.
