Where The Nolan sisters are now and heartbreaking family cancer battles

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Where The Nolan sisters are now and heartbreaking family cancer battles (Image: TV Times via Getty Images)
Where The Nolan sisters are now and heartbreaking family cancer battles (Image: TV Times via Getty Images)

The Nolans have suffered through many family heartbreaks and losses throughout the years, with many bravely battling cancer.

Sisters Anne, Lina, Coleen, Denise, Bernie and their mother Maureen rose to fame after forming the girl group The Nolans in 1974.

Between 1979 and 1982, they had seven international hits and even went on to win a Japanese Grammy in 1992.

Some of their hits included I'm In the Mood for Dancing, Who's Gonna Rock You and Chemistry.

Although the sisters were booked and busy for decades, personal illnesses and issues followed the family.

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Their father Tommy Nolan Sr. died of liver cancer in 1998.

Where The Nolan sisters are now and heartbreaking family cancer battlesThe sisters rose to fame as part of The Nolans (Getty Images)

Bernie, Anne and Linda Nolan have all battled cancer.

Linda recently revealed that her cancer had spread to her brain after first being diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in 2005 before getting the all-clear in 2006.

With the heartbreaking update from Linda last week, we take a look at where the Nolan sisters are now...

Linda Nolan

Where The Nolan sisters are now and heartbreaking family cancer battlesLinda Nolan shared an update on her cancer diagnosis recently (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Where The Nolan sisters are now and heartbreaking family cancer battlesLinda (LEFT) said her cancer spread to her brain (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

After battling breast cancer for a year in 2005, Linda was given the all-clear.

The 64-year-old then lost her husband Brian Hudson to skin cancer when he was 60, just one year after she was diagnosed with breast cancer for the first time.

In 2017, she was diagnosed with a form of incurable secondary cancer in her hip, which later spread to her liver in 2020.

At the end of March, pictures of the singer emerged of her visiting a hospital in a wheelchair.

Linda took to Good Morning Britain to share an update on her cancer diagnosis.

Where The Nolan sisters are now and heartbreaking family cancer battlesLinda revealed that she had also been offered a new drug to trial (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

She told ITV viewers: "I've always been hopeful with my treatment and what's going on in my life.

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"I just want to tell you unfortunately for me my cancer has spread to my brain that's obviously frightening because there isn't much treatment for brain cancer except for chemotherapy."

Linda revealed that she had also been offered a new drug to trial alongside the chemotherapy.

She told Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley that she's been told by doctors that the new drug has been "hailed as a wonder drug" and she hopes it will do "wonders for [her]."

Anne Nolan

Where The Nolan sisters are now and heartbreaking family cancer battlesAnne (back) was the first sister to get diagnosed (Quest Red)
Where The Nolan sisters are now and heartbreaking family cancer battlesThe star (left) was diagnosed for the second time in 2020 (OK! MAGAZINE/LORNA ROACH)

Anne was the first sister to be diagnosed with the horrific disease. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000.

The 72-year-old went on to battle stage three breast cancer in April 2020, while her sister Linda found out about her liver cancer a few days later.

Anne and Linda were side-by-side as they underwent chemotherapy and were determined to beat the disease.

"I don't want to die. I love my life so much. I love my daughters, my grandchildren, my friends, all my family. I want to live for as long as I possibly can," Anne toldThe Sun.

Where The Nolan sisters are now and heartbreaking family cancer battlesShe discovered a lump in her breast while showering (ITV)

She discovered she had cancer for a second time when she found a lump while showering.

“The first time 20 years ago, almost 20 years to the day. I was in the shower both times and I was washing. I had felt a lump that wasn’t there before..." she said.

"I left it for a day, to be honest, and then the next day when I was showering again, I thought oh it’s still there and exactly the same thing happened 20 years ago and I just went straight to the doctor."

The star is thankfully in remission for the second time.

Bernie Nolan

Where The Nolan sisters are now and heartbreaking family cancer battlesBernie was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010 (WireImage)
Where The Nolan sisters are now and heartbreaking family cancer battlesShe passed away in her sleep three years later (Getty Images for Breast Cancer C)

Bernie, who was the second youngest Nolan sister, died in 2013 after battling breast cancer for a few years.

She was diagnosed with the disease in April 2010 and died in her sleep in the summer of 2013 at the age of 52.

"Bernie passed away peacefully this morning with all of her family around her," a statement read at the time.

"The entire family are devastated to have lost beloved Bernie, a wonderful wife, adoring mother and loving sister, she is irreplaceable. They kindly ask people to respect their privacy at this difficult time."

She underwent chemotherapy and breast reconstruction and later believed she was in remission.

In 2012, she announced she was free of cancer.

Several months later, doctors told the star that the disease returned to her left breast, brain, lungs, liver and bones.

Coleen Nolan

Where The Nolan sisters are now and heartbreaking family cancer battles(L to R) Linda, Coleen, Bernie and their mother Maureen (FilmMagic)

Coleen and her sister Denise are the only two sisters who never had cancer.

Throughout all her sisters' cancer battles, the 58-year-old has been by their sides to support them.

During an episode of Loose Women, she admitted she was "so sick" of the illness and how it "attacks my family all the time."

"I know a lot of people go through it but selfishly, you think of yourself. And I'm scared of crying because I don't think I'll stop," she said.

Where The Nolan sisters are now and heartbreaking family cancer battlesColeen has supported her sisters throughout their difficult journeys (ITV)

Because of her family's many diagnoses, she considered getting a mastectomy to reduce the risk of developing cancer.

"Seeing what Anne and Linda are going through has made me think a lot about having a mastectomy," she confessed toThe Mirror .

"I’ve been lying in bed at night, looking down at my breasts and thinking, 'Am I just walking aroun d with two timebombs here?' If that's a possibility, maybe I need to get rid of them."

Denise Nolan

Where The Nolan sisters are now and heartbreaking family cancer battlesDenise Nolan released her solo album in 2021

Denise left the girl group in 1978, after the success of their platinum-selling album 20 Giant Hits.

The star, who is now 70, has been in almost 40 pantomimes and even worked on her solo career.

In 2022, the singer released her first solo album called For You, My Love, which was 40 years in the making.

Speaking to the Mirror last year, she said her famous sisters were "absolutely gobsmacked and chuffed to bits" to see her finally put it out there in the world.

She said: "Coleentexted me and said she's so proud. My nieces went out to buy it straight away."

Zara Woodcock

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