Coleen Nolan opens up about her own fears and why her sister Linda is her inspiration
October marks Breast Cancer Awareness month and someone who knows more than most about the devastation it can cause is Coleen Nolan.
Her eldest sister Anne was first diagnosed with the disease back in 2000, while Linda was diagnosed in 2005. Their sister Bernie was then diagnosed in 2010 and sadly died just three years later.
Now, Coleen, 58, has opened up about her own anxiety over developing breast cancer, admitting it often affects her daily life. ‘Obviously I do worry about it because it’s very much in my family, so it does make me think about it more than I ever did before any of them got breast cancer,’ she said. ‘Before then I thought that something like this would never happen to me. I try not to think about it every day because, genuinely, it would stop me from living.’
Family trauma
In 2020, Anne was diagnosed with breast cancer for a second time, but was later given the all-clear. However, Linda, who underwent a mastectomy in 2006, is currently living with incurable secondary cancer which started in her hip, but has since spread to her liver and brain.
Earlier this year, Coleen revealed that she had been diagnosed with a type of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma. So it’s no wonder the Loose Women star, who says she checks her breasts ‘as much as I can’, may feel as though she’s living in fear, but she strives to be as positive as possible.
‘I try not to overthink it because I could scare myself to death,’ she said. ‘Worrying isn’t going to help me and stress, if anything, could lead to other problems. I try not to let it consume my life. But because I’m aware of it, I check myself and I’m not afraid of seeking help. Hopefully, if something did happen, I would be able to catch it in time so that it could be treated.’
And it isn’t just Coleen who worries, her 22-year-old daughter Ciara has concerns about the disease too. ‘Ciara occasionally gets worked up about it, which is understandable given what’s happened,’ Coleen confessed. ‘I always encourage her to get checked out if she is worried, just so she has peace of mind, because I know how it feels to be concerned.’
Inspired by Linda
Understandably with all the heartache they’ve endured over the years, the Nolan family have become even more bonded. �
