Coleen Nolan: ‘Make the most of everything’
As Coleen Nolan announces her first ever solo tour, she tells Yours why the heartbreak within her family has made her want to grab life by the horns…
Forty years on from the Nolans’ hit I’m in the Mood, Coleen Nolan is stepping onto stages around the country to sing. But instead of having her sisters by her side, Coleen will be standing in the limelight on her own. “I’m so excited – but also terrified,” Coleen laughs.
Having been encouraged by friends and fans to tour solo, Coleen says recent events have made her reassess what counts. Now she wants to grab every opportunity that comes her way. “I’ve decided life’s too short to be put off by being scared of things, so just do it anyway.”
Over the last couple of years, the Nolans have faced a lot of heartbreak, not only losing Bernie to breast cancer in 2013 but also dealing with Linda’s diagnosis of incurable cancer. More recently, Coleen split up from her husband of ten years, former Nolan guitarist, Ray Fensome. Through it all, Coleen says the support of her family has been a lifeline. “When we lost Bernie, it left a massive hole in our lives as she was the extrovert and the one who always organised us.
“But as a family we’ve all got each other through the hard times, so when one of us was having a bad day, the others would rally round. The Nolans really are like a little army and when the going gets tough, we just go to the frontline together.”
Coleen says that as well as her sisters, her children have been a great help to her during the tough times.
“They have always been supportive and just want me to be happy. So when they realised I wasn’t, they just said, ‘Life’s too short, Mum’.”
Undertaking a solo concert tour, as well as making the most of her new single life, is a major part of doing that, she says.
“I am scared that I won’t have my sisters there to turn around to when I’m petrified on the first night or to laugh with when something goes wrong. But I’m also looking forward to it as I want to show that any woman of any size or age, whatever they’re going through, whether it’s cancer or a break-up, can get out and do something they’re afraid of.
“It’s also a chance to really enjoy performing in a way I perhaps didn’t always do when I was teenager, touring with the Nolans. I just missed being at home back then. Now I’ll really appreciate it.
“As my children have said, this will be such a fantastic thing to look back on – I just want to go out and be able to say to myself, ‘I did it’.”
■ tickets to coleen’s never too Late tour, from january 11 to February 28, 2019 are on sale now priced £32.50. to book, visit coleennolantour.com ■ YOURS EVERY FORTNIGHT