The Herald - The Herald Magazine
Coleen and Maureen Nolan open up about loss, feuds and dating
COLEEN Nolan was certainly dubious about making a TV show with her sisters.
In the past, there have been public feuds between the siblings, who found fame as a hugely successful Irish girl group, The Nolans (first formed as The Nolan Sisters in 1974).
And 55-year-old Coleen – the youngest of the family
– was worried they wouldn’t get on as they travelled the Mediterranean together for The Nolans Go Cruising, which will air on Quest Red.
“You’re together 24/7, for two weeks, which we haven’t done since we were kids,” notes the witty, no-nonsense Loose Women host.
“I thought, ‘We could end doing this show and end up getting off this cruise and not ever speaking again’.”
But, luckily, the opposite happened, and she feels she has reconnected with Maureen, Linda and Anne.
“I feel closer to them now, I think, than ever,” she gushes, before adding with a chuckle: “I mean, don’t get me wrong, they still get on my nerves...”
The eight-part series finds all four sisters single for the
first time in their adult lives, as they embark on two cruises on board the MSC Grandiosa.
We will also see them prepare for a performance of I’m In The Mood For Dancing in front of their fellow passengers, on the final night of the trip.
“We were all really nervous and wary about doing that because obviously Bernie sang the lead in I’m In The Mood
For Dancing,” reflects Maureen. Throughout the show, the foursome mention their sister Bernie, who died of breast cancer in 2013, a lot.
“She is still a part of our lives, even though she’s not here.”
Both Maureen and Coleen are relieved that, even though The Nolans Go Cruising is described as ‘part reality show’, it’s not a dramatic watch.
“They really weren’t out to get a horrible story, or instigate arguments or anything,” says Maureen.
“They did say, all the way through, ‘If you say something and then you change your mind, because you didn’t like the way that came out, then absolutely say’. So, we felt protected.”