Denise Drysdale gets up to mischief behind-the-scenes as she makes her return to Studio 10

She is said to be the saving grace of Studio 10 amid recent reports the show is ‘going downhill’ due to low ratings. 

And on Monday, Denise Drysdale quite literally had a red carpet rolled out for as she arrived back to the studio following a short break in Queensland. 

In a welcome back clip shared to Studio 10’s Instagram, the 71-year-old TV icon hilariously wrapped herself in the carpet before unravelling to break free. 

Denise looked like she was having a whale of a time during the behind-the-scenes mischief before cameras rolled. 

‘Welcome back Ding Dong,’ was written on the screen behind.  

Denise has taken a short break from being on Studio 10’s panel as the COVID-19 pandemic left her stuck in Queensland. 

The two-time Gold Logie winner is a fan favourite on the show and is credited for pulling in the viewers during the show’s reported recent struggles. 

A source claimed to Woman’s Day: ‘Studio 10 has had an axe looming over it, and Ten were in complete panic mode a few weeks back [in February] when the show’s ratings dipped to a worrying low of 33,000 metro viewers.’

‘But the next day, execs heavily promoted Denise on the show and there was a huge spike of 10,000 viewers,’ they added.

Studio 10 bosses are said to be relying on Denise to keep ratings up, but they’re worried because she already has one foot out the door.   

Meanwhile, The Daily Telegraph quoted an alleged source who claimed the show is in a ‘decline’ and has lost the interest of audiences.

The alleged source is quoted as saying: ‘The show went from fan-favourite and media darling to a show no-one seems to care about any more’. 

Channel 10 has denied there are plans to cancel the show, despite it recording its lowest ever ratings in April.