Nolan sisters’ tragedies as Linda and Anne battle cancer at the same time
The Nolan sisters have dealt with much more than their fair share of tragedy, with Linda and Anne revealing recently that they’re both battling cancer at the same time
From cancer battles to child abuse and cheating husbands, the Nolan sisters have dealt with much more than their fair share of tragedy.
And the family’s bad luck has sadly continued as last week Linda and Anne revealed the heartbreaking news that they’re battling cancer at the same time after being diagnosed within days of each other.
Linda’s incurable cancer is in her liver and it’s her third battle with the disease, while Anne has stage three breast cancer.
The news came seven years after the sisters tragically lost their sister Bernie to cancer.
Here we take a look at the Nolan sisters’ family tragedies.
Linda and Anne’s cancer fight
Linda and Anne have revealed they are both battling cancer at the same time.
Linda’s incurable cancer is in her liver and she previously battled breast cancer in 2006, cellulitis and lymphoedema in her arm in 2007 and secondary cancer on her pelvis in 2017.
Anne has stage three breast cancer, the most serious being stage four.
They both received their diagnoses within days of each other shortly after they finished filming their TV show The Nolans Go Cruising.
They even endured a round of chemotherapy together at Blackpool’s Victoria Hospital.
A spokesman for Linda and Anne told the Mirror: “It is with a heavy heart to confirm that Linda and Anne are battling cancer together. Linda’s incurable secondary cancer has spread from her hip to her liver, with Anne having a grade three breast tumour.
“They were both diagnosed following filming of their Quest Red show The Nolans Go Cruising and are now undergoing chemotherapy together.
“Linda and Anne would like to thank the public for all the love and support they’ve received.”
Bernie’s death
Bernie was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2010.
She underwent chemotherapy and a mastectomy, and was soon given the all clear.
But in 2012 she received the devastating news that the cancer had returned and had spread to her brain, lungs, liver and bones.
Bernie lost her battle with cancer on July 4 2013.
She was just 52-years-old.
Child abuse
After their dad Tommy died Anne Nolan revealed in 2008 that he sexually abused her as a child.
She also said he would physically abuse her sisters and their mum.
In Coleen’s 2008 autobiography she wrote: “He was a bully and a drunk.
“I knew he’d made mum’s life hell and sexually abused Anne. His behaviour repulsed me.”
Linda’s heartache
Linda’s husband Brian died in 2007 from liver failure.
The couple, who never had children, were married for 26 years until Brian passed away.
He had worked as the Nolans’ tour manager until 1983 and became his wife’s manager after she left the group.
Linda has struggled to move on since his death and admits she still sleeps with his ashes beside her bed.
Coleen’s failed marriages
Coleen has been married twice and both ended in divorce.
She was married to Shane Richie from 1990 until 1997 and they share two sons: Shane Junior and Jake.
The marriage ended because of Shane’s cheating and wild partying in the early nineties.
Speaking on Channel 5’s In Therapy, Coleen said: “He was so brilliant at convincing me I was wrong. He would look me right in the eyes… and convince me I was wrong. He made me feel paranoid.
“I remember that feeling of elation when I found out [he was having an affair].. I went ‘Yes! I knew it…’
“It was a feeling of euphoria before the absolute devastation hit me – he still convinced me to stay.”
It looked like Coleen had finally found happiness when she married Ray Fensome in 2007.
But she filed for divorce in 2018 after ten years of marriage, telling fans they’d drifted apart and the relationship wasn’t fixable.
Loss of secret sibling
The Nolans had a secret younger half-sister, who was born in the 1950s to their dad’s relationship with another woman.
They never met their sibling and Coleen revealed that she may have been one of the 800 bodies that was found in the excavation of Irish children’s home Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home.
Coleen said on Loose Women: “The news hit home for me because I’ve talked about the half-sister I never met, who was born in Ireland.
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