People don’t believe me but being single is fantastic!
After a tough few years, Coleen Nolan is facing her fear of starring on the stage and has lots to celebrate. She tells GABRIELLE FAGAN all about it
SHE’S a queen of daytime TV, as the longest serving panellist on Loose Women, and with her bubbly, down-to-earth personality, Coleen Nolan seems able to cope with anything.
Yet the 54-year-old reveals she felt “really scared” taking on a starring acting role in The Thunder Girls. Following a successful preview run last year, the stage show’s now set for a nationwide tour this September.
She’s bubbling with enthusiasm about her part in the show now though, which she took after years of turning down West End roles.
“Loose Women is my dream job and I’m still loving it, but it’s exciting to take on something new,” says Blackpool-born Coleen. “The show’s about a girl band who reunite after 30 years of not speaking to one another because greed, envy and ego have torn them apart.
“Having lived and breathed the ups and down of girl band life, I knew this was so perfect for me,” declares the TV favourite, who was the youngest member of one of the most famous showbiz families – The Nolans. She and her sisters topped the charts in the Seventies and Eighties, and reformed in 2009 for a tour.
“We were never toxic like The Thunder Girls,” Coleen says with a smile. “Our rows only lasted five minutes, as we got on well and loved each other.”
She says after years turning down West End roles, she finally found the courage to conquer her fears after losing her 52-year-old sister, Bernie, to cancer in 2013. It changed her approach to life.
“Losing Bernie made me realise anything can happen, and you have to grab opportunities and live for each day,” she confides. “She’s my inspiration because she was so brave, and I thought with this show: ‘Just feel the fear and do it anyway’.
“I have stage fright immediately before I step out to perform, even on Loose Women, and that put me off as well. I worried about forgetting my lines. It’s definitely the scariest thing I’ve ever done, but I’ve loved it,” Coleen adds.
“The show’s like the ultimate sneak peek behind the velvet curtain of showbiz and what can go on behind closed doors. To say it’s explosive is an understatement, and there are fights and loads of brilliant killer lines.”
Coleen plays Anita, a former pop star who’s been in hiding for over 30 year, since an international tabloid scandal left her humiliated and tired of the fame game.
The downside of fame is something she’s experienced in real life too. Coleen took a three-month break from Loose Women following an on-air argument with Kim Woodburn in 2018, which triggered a social media storm.
“I literally felt like the whole country hated me,” says Coleen, who admits she was shocked by the “hurtful and cruel” comments targeting her.
“I was sent horrendous messages, saying people hoped I’d die and also that I’d die from cancer like Bernie. I was even called the worst thing – a bully.
“I’ve completely moved on from it now, but for six weeks I seriously thought I’d give up my career because I couldn’t face it anymore.
“The support of my family, my friends, the fans and of course the Loose Women pulled me through, but it felt like torture at the time.”
Coleen, a mum of three, is happy to put that episode aside now, and declares “this is a fantastic time in my life. My kids are grown up and I’m single, so I have nothing holding me back and can try new things,” she adds.
Here, Coleen talks about getting through tough times, ditching diets and the joys of single life...
How are you finding being single?
IT’S fantastic – it’s the first time I’ve been single since age 15. I’ve always been in long-term relationships and then two long marriages.
But it’s weird because people don’t believe me and keep saying, ‘You must meet someone’. I just say, ‘Give me a breather, I’m happy!’
I’ve never really had a moment of being just me, and thinking about what I want to do and being free to do it. I’m absolutely loving it. I live with my kids and my granddaughter, as well as four dogs and two cats, so it’s a mad house but I’m never lonely.
Are you dating?
I’M not actively looking for a partner. I’d rather let fate decide and if it’s meant to be, someone will turn up. To be honest, it’s hard to find that confidence again to date, I’m quite shy in social situations, and then there’s getting naked with somebody. Just the thought of that brings me out in a sweat of embarrassment.
I haven’t got a type – it’s all about personality for me, and if they can make you laugh, that’s so sexy.
My high profile also makes dating difficult. If a younger man chats you up, you do wonder, ‘Do they want to go out with me just because I’m on the telly?’ I couldn’t possibly date someone in their 30s because they’d want to be out clubbing and I just like sitting in watching box sets with a cup of tea – I’m a real homebody.
How do you feel about your body image?
I’M confident in my own skin nowadays. That’s come with age and maturity. I’ve ditched the scales and totally given up dieting. Sometimes I’m overweight and sometimes I lose it, but that’s just me.
I lost five stone and got down to a size 10 once, but still got criticised for other things, so now I think: ‘You can’t please everybody so you might as well please yourself!’
It’s more about health for me now, rather than looks. I need to lose a couple of stone though as my knees are struggling to support my thighs!
How do you look after your health?
I NEVER go to a gym. I walk my four dogs and it’s pretty hard physical work regularly mucking out the stables, where I keep my two horses.
In my head, I feel in my 20s, but my body tells me I’m not! I’ve got joint aches due to the menopause and hot flushes. I can’t take HRT because of the cancer risk.
The thought of getting cancer is always in the back of my mind, as I’ve had three sisters suffer from it and sadly lost one. But I’m vigilant about having an annual check-up.
How do you look after your wellbeing?
I’M a pretty optimistic person and after all I’ve been through, I’m generally able to tell myself, ‘Come on, you’ve been through worse and you were absolutely fine’.
I can always turn to my wonderfully supportive kids and friends if I need to, and of course, the Loose Women! Also I’ve had therapy. It’s brilliant for venting and clearing your head.
I’m very open, but I’d much rather go, ‘I’m having a bad time’, and talk it through, rather than keep everything festering inside.
■ Coleen Nolan stars in the UK national tour of The Thunder Girls, which begins at The Orchard Theatre, Dartford on September 1-5. All tickets £29.50.
For full tour information, see thundergirls.co.uk