Featured Image Credit: Loose Women/SAV/FilmMagic
Topics: Loose Women, Celebrity, Health
Ben Thompson
Coleen Nolan has revealed that she is the fourth of her sisters to receive a cancer diagnosis.
The Loose Women panellist, 58, opened up about her big health news, which comes ten years after losing her sister Bernie to the illness when she was 52.
Two of Coleen's other sisters - Anne, 72, and Linda, 64 - have also been public about their struggles with cancer.
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Anne was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time in 2020, but is thankfully now cancer free.
Linda's breast cancer has sadly spread to her brain and she is now living with her sister Denise, 71, and making use of a wheelchair, preparing for 'the inevitable'.
All of the sisters were part of The Nolans girl group, best known for their 1979 hit 'I'm In The Mood For Dancing'.
Talking on the Monday's (17 July) episode of the ITV talk show, Coleen told her Loose Women colleagues that her diagnosis came after a trip to the dermatologist.
Although her visit was for a separate issue, she was told that a patch on her skin was common skin cancer basal cell carcinoma.
Coleen said: "I went back in and he was very good and he said, 'Look, it's nothing to worry about. It is actually a cancer that doesn't necessarily spread, but you do need to treat it'.
"My first instinct, typical me, was to laugh hysterically because I just thought that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard anybody say."
The star added: "I'm sick of cancer and also, my first instinct was, I'm not telling anybody in my family because this that I've got at the moment seems nothing compared to what my sisters have been through.
"And... what Linda is going through, where it has gone to her brain and she's having chemo.
"It just seemed so pathetic for some reason to go back and go, 'Oh yeah, I've got a carcinoma'."
For the 58-year-old television presenter, the first step of treatment is to use chemo cream, before proceeding to surgery if that doesn't work.
After Coleen's announcement, Linda expressed pride in her younger sister.
Taking to Twitter, she wrote: "She acted on her instincts, found something amiss and got it checked.
"If you spot something out of the ordinary for you, PLEASE get it checked. Don't be frightened."
Coleen's Loose Women co-star Charlene White credited Coleen with giving her the courage to seek medical help regarding an unexplained 'mark' on her leg.
Speaking on today's (18 July) episode of the show, Charlene said: "I've got a little mark on my leg, I called the doctor and the doctor referred me and I hadn't chased up the referral to get an appointment.
"As soon as I read about what you did yesterday, I immediately picked up the phone, called and booked an appointment; because you kind of... it's like I needed someone to remind me how important that is."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.