Coleen Nolan dreams of getting wed for third time but there's one problem
Coleen Nolan wouldn’t be averse to walking down the aisle for a third time but her son Shane Jr might not give his blessing.
The Loose Women star has been married twice – to actor Shane Richie from 1990 to 1999, and to musician Ray Fensome from 2007 to 2018. She has been dating Michael Jones, who works in logistics for a supermarket, for two years. In a joint interview with Shane Jr, her and Shane’s eldest son, she says: “I love being married.
“After my second divorce, the one thing I said was I would never get married again, I will just live with someone. But then you meet someone...” Coleen, 58, says her relationship with Michael, whom she met on Tinder, is different to anyone in her past. “I actually went and had therapy about it, because I’m not used to it,” she says.
Coleen with hubby Ray in 2011 (PA)“They’ve been on six first dates,” laughed Shane Jr about her mum’s rocky beginning with Michael. “I get on really well with him. He’s a top bloke and he loves my mum to pieces. He is everything she has ever wanted. She just needs to relax on the marriage talk.”
Musician Shane, 34, married long-term partner Maddie Wahdan last year in a summer wedding at Rushton Hall in Kettering, Northants. “I love being married, I really do,” he said. “I didn’t think it would change me but it really has. It has changed my wife’s relationship with the whole family. I’ve been a bit of a nightmare in the past with women. My whole family has taken her on board and she feels part of the family now.”
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Maddie, who has just been crowned Miss Great Britain, and Shane hope they will start a family next year. “We’re going to go on our honeymoon in January,” he smiled. "I said the other day my ovaries are on fire and they don’t work any more,” laughs Coleen. “They are hanging on because I’m desperate.”
Coleen may not have to wait too long for baby cuddles. With Shane Jr happily married, her younger son with Shane – singer Jake Roche, 31 – and her daughter with Ray, Ciara Fensome, 22, are also loved up with partners. In the meantime, Coleen has a herd of pets to look after.
Coleen with partner Michael Jones on Loose Women last year (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)At last count, her animals stood at five dogs, three cats, three goats and a horse. But she is always looking to add more to her brood. “Michael finds it difficult. At the moment if I see any pet shop I go: ‘We need another dog’ and he jokes: ‘There’s 27 in your kitchen’,” said the star, who lives in a farmhouse in Cheshire and would love to present another animal rescue series after ITV ’s Give A Pet A Home in 2015.
Coleen is embarking on a UK theatre tour in February. The 16-date show, called Naked, will be a family affair, with Shane Jr providing support and backing with his live band, and Jake directing. Her decision to take to the stage again was in part inspired by seeing sister Linda, 64, battle cancer.
“It’s something I always wanted to do but kept putting it off,” says Coleen, whose career in the spotlight began when she enjoyed huge success with sister group The Nolans. “Ultimately, performing is my favourite thing to do. I love singing, I love that live experience and that adrenaline rush but I’ve always done it surrounded by sisters or on Loose Women.
“I’ve always been scared to do it on my own. I think it’s mainly when Linda got diagnosed again I thought I want to do it again before something else happens and I’m too old or ill.” Linda was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in 2005, then secondary cancer in her hip in 2017, which spread to her liver in 2020.
Coleen and Linda in 2017 (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)“She has got a fantastic will to live and she will fight it,” says Coleen. “She always says: ‘I’m living with it, I’m not dying from it’. Every three months is hard as a family because every three months she has to go for a scan. The way I play it is: ‘Every day is a blessing’ and I think that’s the way she plays it too.”
Coleen, who is the youngest of seven siblings, lost sister Bernie to breast cancer 10 years ago. “Bernie gave us a big speech before she died, telling us we could grieve and cry for two weeks but after two weeks she wanted us up and getting on with life,” she said.
“So every time I wanted to stay in bed and thought: ‘I can’t face the day,’ I always had those words from her going: ‘Get up!’ Every now and again, normally if I’m on my own, I’ll have a good cry.” Shane Jr admits he struggles with grief but, with Coleen’s help, the whole family is trying to be open when it comes to talking about death and funeral planning.
The star is presenting a second series of Co-op Funeralcare podcast Let’s Start Talking on the subject. “None of us likes thinking about that moment but it’s going to happen,” she says. “Funerals are awful and grief is awful so any pain you can eliminate from that situation is worth it.
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Maddie Wahdan with hubby Shane Jr (shanenolan/Instagram)“When Bernie died, she left exactly how she wanted her funeral to be and I cannot tell you the stress it took off. Everyone should make a will but as part of the will they should write down how they want the funeral.” Coleen’s tour will feature a song for her late sister. She said: “Everyone there, I want them to have a laugh.
“I want there to be moments where they cry, all the audience will have been through something. There’ll be a section where I sing a song for Bernie but I want everyone at the end to be up on their feet dancing.”
* Don’t miss Coleen’s new Co-op Funeralcare podcast Let’s Start Talking, in which she interviews celebrity guests about their funeral plans to get the nation more comfortable discussing death. Download it now on Spotify, Apple and Android.
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