Lisa Riley gives an update on ‘horrendous’ arm injury after fall that saw her needing surgery

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Lisa Riley shared an update on an arm injury she described as ‘horrendous’ and required surgery.

Oh my gosh, you will NOT believe this! Lisa Riley, the Mandy Dingle, was on Loose Women today! I was glued to the screen, of course. She was chatting with Kaye Adams, GK Barry, and Denise Welch – it was amazing just seeing her there! I seriously can’t get enough of her, she’s just incredible.

The episode began with Kaye Adams asking the star: ‘Lisa, what’s going on with the arm?’

Lisa replied: ‘Well, it’s like these chairs, these stools, that we’ve got here. 

Just before my trip to New York five weeks ago, I was filming scenes for Emmerdale, specifically the courtroom drama that will air next week.

‘And I went home, said to Al, “Look babe, I’m tired. Put some soup in the microwave”‘.

Okay, so listen, she was telling this story and it was amazing. Apparently, the stool she’s been sitting on – seriously, for seven years! – while wearing this long cardigan, was, like, so polished it was slippery? I don’t know, it just felt like a really important detail, like it explained everything.

‘I sat down and whoop, I became a human sledge. Landed really badly.

I recently had surgery and I’m now five weeks into recovery. I’d really appreciate your prayers for my appointment on May 6th, when the doctor will remove my cast.

They approved my trip, but I was quite anxious since I was flying to New York just four days after that.

‘So they’ve put this expandable cast on and it was Easter can you tell, went for an Easter colour.

Lisa explained that her injury now resembles a dog bite. She also mentioned she’ll need rehabilitation and physical therapy as part of her recovery.

‘It’s been horrendous, I still can’t move anything.’

When Denise, another panelist, asked Lisa if she’d ‘fallen’ or ‘had a fall,’ the actress clarified that she had indeed ‘had a fall’.

She said: ‘I had a fall, I did have a fall.’

The actress jokingly said she wasn’t drinking when she fell and seriously injured her thumb. She needed surgery at Leeds General Infirmary to fix a ligament in her thumb, called the Ulnar Collateral Ligament.

Damage to the UCL that needs surgery happens when the ligament on the inside of your thumb’s main joint tears.

I saw a really interesting post from Lisa the other day! She shared a selfie with her surgeon, Dr. Thorton, right after a procedure, and then another photo of her leaving the hospital with her arm in a sling. It was so positive and uplifting to see her spirits up after everything!

The actress shared a post on Instagram where she spoke highly of the NHS, calling it ‘incredible’ and expressing her gratitude to the doctors and nurses who looked after her.

Lisa shared a heartfelt thank you to the NHS, particularly praising her surgeon, Mr. Daniel Thornton, and the entire team at Leeds General Infirmary for the wonderful care she received this afternoon.

I had a nasty fall over the weekend – thankfully, I wasn’t drinking! It wasn’t due to alcohol, but because I slipped off my breakfast stool while wearing a wool sweater, and my left thumb took the brunt of the impact.

I recently had surgery to repair a ligament in my thumb, which is why there’s been so much damage.

During the Loose Women show, Lisa shared how she helped her family cope with the loss of her mother to breast cancer.

The panel had been discussing Coronation Street legend Beverley Callard’s ongoing cancer journey. 

Meanwhile, the actress’ beloved mother, Cath, sadly lost her battle with cancer back in 2012.

Lisa shared: ‘With my mum, obviously, I’ve spoke on here – she passed away from breast cancer.

She was initially diagnosed and responded well to treatment, but a secondary illness developed a year and a half ago, and we knew her condition was terminal.

I was performing in ‘Calendar Girls’ when my mother needed full-time care, so I immediately left my job to look after her.

‘I had to be there for her and I wanted to be there for her, every minute of every day.’

She continued, explaining that she understood her father’s reaction when they learned how much morphine her mother received, as she was receiving end-of-life care.

Oh, my dad… he just couldn’t accept it, absolutely refused to. It was like he shut down completely. And my brother, who I adore, well, he just retreated into himself. It was so hard to watch them both, honestly.

It just killed me, seeing him offer to be there for her, saying he’d listen if she needed to talk, and she just… didn’t want to. I always think of it like being stuck under a tent – you’re offering shelter, you’re right there, but she just wouldn’t come in. It’s this awful feeling of being so close, yet completely shut out, and it breaks my heart every time I think about it.

‘That if I didn’t stay strong, this tent is going to fall down. Mum was not going to get better.

‘At 58 years old dying of breast cancer, so young, I had to keep my Dad high as it were.

Even when she was at her worst, he held onto hope for her recovery, and it’s possible that belief helped him deal with the situation.

Loose Women airs on ITV1 and ITVX. 

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2026-05-01 17:19