{"id":132943,"date":"2023-10-30T15:45:51","date_gmt":"2023-10-30T15:45:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluemull.com\/?p=132943"},"modified":"2023-10-30T15:45:51","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T15:45:51","slug":"coleen-nolan-my-cancer-scare-made-me-live-each-day-like-its-my-last","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluemull.com\/tv-and-movies\/coleen-nolan-my-cancer-scare-made-me-live-each-day-like-its-my-last\/","title":{"rendered":"Coleen Nolan: My cancer scare made me live each day like its my last"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes it can feel like a tsunami of bad luck and tough challenges is threatening to engulf you – that\u2019s the reality Coleen Nolan has lived through this past year.<\/p>\n

The Loose Women star and mum-of-three has experienced relationship issues, empty-nest syndrome, a cancer scare and the prospect of losing another sister to the disease. To say it\u2019s been a trying time is an understatement.<\/p>\n

As we sit down for a catch-up, the emotional turmoil is visibly etched on her face. \u201cEmpty nest is a real thing… who knew?\u201d she tells OK!<\/b>, <\/b>referring to her three children Shane Jr, 34, Jake 31, and 22-year-old Ciara who are finally all moving out. It follows her eldest \u201cboomerang\u201d son returning to the family home after initially leaving years before.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the children were younger I thought I\u2019d be thrilled when they became independent \u2013 but it\u2019s the opposite. I\u2019ve been feeling so redundant, like I don\u2019t have a purpose any more.\u201d <\/p>\n

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But as a born fighter who clearly has reserves of determination by the bucket load she adds, \u201cI\u2019ve realised, as their mum, they\u2019ll always need me one way or another. Now is the time to concentrate on me. It\u2019s like a new lease of life \u2013 I\u2019ve so much I still want to do. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been scary at times but I\u2019ve turned that into excitement. I\u2019m more confident to take control of my future now \u2013 success or fail \u2013 and that\u2019s a liberating feeling.\u201d <\/p>\n

In July, Coleen\u2019s inner strength was put to the test again when she shared the worrying news that she\u2019s the fourth of her sisters to be diagnosed with cancer. Anne is currently in remission, but Bernie died in 2013 of the disease and Linda\u2019s cancer has now spread to her brain. Coleen was shocked to discover she herself has basal cell carcinoma, a common but treatable form of skin cancer. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was very scary finding out I have a precancerous skin melanoma, and also learning that my sister Linda\u2019s cancer had spread to her brain. It puts everything into perspective and makes you realise how fragile life can be. Now I try to live each day like it\u2019s my last and stop sweating the small stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

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On the romance front, it\u2019s been a rocky road for her and partner Michael Jones. The couple met on Tinder in 2021 after she and her Loose Women co-star Brenda Edwards both joined the dating app. After a year the relationship began to \u201cfizzle out\u201d and they split in 2022. <\/p>\n

Coleen\u2019s children were understandably concerned for their mum. \u201cThe first year I was with Michael, they weren\u2019t sure because, one minute I was all about him and the next I was saying I finished it, so they were confused,\u201d she admits.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were super-protective of me so they didn\u2019t want me to go back on the dating scene and jump, because they\u2019ve seen me go through things before.\u201d <\/p>\n

In the aftermath of the break-up, her children convinced her to go to therapy, where she finally learned to love and accept herself. It was during these sessions that Coleen realised she missed Michael and, after reaching out to him, the pair revived their romance earlier this year.<\/p>\n

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\u201cMichael kind of lives with me now,\u201d reveals the Cheshire-based star, adding that a new house together is on the cards next year. \u201cI\u2019m staying in the same area, but I\u2019m going to downsize because all of my kids have gone \u2013 Ciara, my youngest, is going travelling in January.\u201d<\/p>\n

She\u2019s adamant that her kids\u2019 opinions are important, having declared during a Loose Women discussion about reality dating show My Mum, Your Dad, that she would, \u201cnever, ever, ever pick a man over my children\u201d.<\/p>\n

However, since reuniting with Michael, their relationship has gone from strength to strength. \u201cWe always got on,\u201d confirms Coleen. \u201cBut now I\u2019m very different and Michael feels more secure, the kids get on great with him. They\u2019re really supportive now, so it\u2019s nice.<\/p>\n

"If someone had told me three years ago that I\u2019d find love again I would have laughed hysterically! But I feel so lucky now that it\u2019s happened. It feels wonderful to be forging ahead with someone I love by my side. And if it doesn\u2019t work out at some point then I know I can be alone too and still survive.\u201d <\/p>\n

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As a self-confessed \u201chomebird\u201d it\u2019s no surprise that Coleen\u2019s favourite place is \u201csitting at home watching TV\u201d. But to hear that she\u2019s uncomfortable with the notion of \u201cfame\u201d is quite an eye-opener. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t feel like a celebrity, I can\u2019t fake it, I try, I really try, and especially on the TV,\u201d she insists. But it\u2019s Coleen\u2019s down-to-earth nature and honesty that has endeared her to Loose Women fans since she joined in 2000. In fact, the camaraderie between the panellists is key to the show\u2019s success. <\/p>\n

\u201cRuth [Langsford] and me are really close, and we really connect,\u201d Coleen explains. \u201cSo do me and Christine [Lampard]. I get on well with all of them \u2013 Jane [Moore], Brenda [Edwards] and Janet [Street-Porter].\u201d <\/p>\n

She adds, \u201cJanet is a pain in the a**e, but I just love her. She is actually a grumpy cow, but she doesn\u2019t try to hide it.\u201d <\/p>\n

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Over the years Coleen\u2019s been a popular contestant on reality shows too, including Dancing On Ice and The Real Full Monty. She was a runner-up on the celebrity version of Big Brother in 2012, re-entering the house five years later to take the crown.<\/p>\n

With a new BB series on air, Coleen is hooked. \u201cI get the shudders when they do all the tasks. I know what they\u2019re going through, and what they\u2019re feeling,\u201d she explains. \u201cPhysically it\u2019s fine, but mentally it\u2019s traumatic.\u201d <\/p>\n

But there\u2019s one show in particular that has a surprising effect on her.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen I hear the music for Dancing On Ice \u2013 I still get nervous, and feel sick,\u201d she admits, recalling her stint in 2009 in which she and professional partner Stuart Widdall came fourth. \u201cEven if you\u2019ve enjoyed it, you remember the nerves and the adrenaline it just gives you that feeling again.\u201d <\/p>\n

So what does she think makes her such a hit with viewers? <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d she smiles. \u201cYou\u2019d have to ask them! I think no matter how long I\u2019ve been there, or how long I\u2019ve been standing on a red carpet \u2013 I don\u2019t feel any different to the women sitting at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coleen Nolan\u2019s solo tour Naked starts in February, visit coleentour.com for tickets <\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n