Coleen Nolan was left in tears on Monday’s Loose Women as she discussed her sister Linda’s cancer spreading to her brain.
The 58-year-old said she was “sick” of cancer “attacking her family”, as her older sibling battles the disease for a third time.
The TV star told the panel: “Linda’s had cancer since 2005. It’s her strength and will to live, she’s just so strong all the time and it makes the rest of us strong.
“It was a big shock on Monday when she told us that was the diagnosis, she’s had incurable cancer for a while but it’s always been treatable.”
She continued: “Very sadly she told us it had gone to the brain, which normally would be, ‘OK we’ve only got a certain amount of time’, but she told us a new drug has been developed.
“It’s only been out a year but it’s showing great signs so they’ve put her on that.”
Nolan praised her older sister for staying positive, adding: “You hear her talk and she’s positive so it makes you stronger.”
However, it all proved too much for the presenter who was left overcome with emotion as she said: “This time I haven’t cried because I’ve felt really numb.
“I’m so sick of it - it just attacks my family, I know a lot of people go through it. I’m scared of crying because I don’t think I’ll stop, but I’m gonna cry now so can we move on.”
64-year-old singer Linda, part of Anglo-Irish family pop group The Nolans, revealed that she will be using a wheelchair and is moving in with her sister Denise due to having issues with her balance.
In 2020, she revealed a third recurrence of the disease in her liver, following treatment in 2006 for breast cancer.
'I'm not giving up.'
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) March 27, 2023
Following an emotional interview with us last April, @LindaNolan_ is back to share some tragic news. Her cancer has now spread to her brain.
Linda's latest setback came following a series of falls but she is hoping a new chemo drug will help her. pic.twitter.com/lzBKWqjU17
Nolan told Good Morning Britain: “Unfortunately, sadly for me, my cancer has now spread to my brain, and which I only found out on Monday.
“And that’s obviously very frightening because there isn’t much out there for brain cancer at the moment, apart from radiotherapy, which I’m going to be having.
“But there is a new drug that’s been in use for a year, for brain cancer, and they’re going to try me on that as a (chemotherapy) drug with some other treatment.”
The former Celebrity Big Brother contestant added that she is “not giving up” and is remaining “positive” about the future.
Her sister Anne, whom she joined on TV series The Nolans Go Cruising, was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time three years ago, and is now cancer-free.
Another sibling, Bernie, died of breast cancer in 2013 at the age of 52.
The family history of cancer, Nolan said, has been “really scary” for her other sisters, including Denise, Maureen and Coleen.
