Brian Nolan, 69, who was part of the original Nolan Sisters group in the 1970s, kept his devastating news a secret
The brother of tragic Linda Nolan has revealed he has been diagnosed with cancer, just weeks after his sister died.
Linda, 65, died from cancer in January, and just three days later, 69-year-old Brian said he had his own diagnosis of level 2 prostate cancer confirmed.
The Nolan family has been persistently haunted by cancer; they lost Bernie to breast cancer in 2013 when she was just 52, and more recently Linda at 65, earlier this year. Anne, now 74, faced breast cancer in 2000, and Coleen, at 60, was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2023.
“I just want cancer to leave us alone,” said Brian, the fifth among the eight Nolan siblings, reports the Mirror.
“You’re never ready for somebody to say: ‘Yes, you’ve got cancer’. It’s like being hit by a train. You start plunging into the abyss of: ‘I’m going to die’. The urologist stood up and said ‘We’re going to treat this and we’re going to cure this’. I’m focusing on that and hope to God I can have the courage my sisters had.”
The news struck his other sister, Loose Women panellist Coleen, profoundly.
“I couldn’t speak,” she recounted, reflecting on the moment she learned of Brian’s diagnosis. “I went completely numb and about an hour later I wanted to punch walls and scream. In our family, cancer’s just there. But he was so positive and I’m just so proud of him.
“We’re a family that treat everything with as much humour as possible and we go ‘OK, we can face this together.’ That’s what we’ll do.”
Brian, who worked behind the scenes supporting the Nolan Sisters band, has had difficult times recently with his prostate cancer diagnosis and the loss of his sister Linda.
He’s due for surgery to remove his prostate gland soon, and thankfully, he’s been informed that his cancer hasn’t spread.
From his Blackpool home, where he’s lived for 25 years, Brian shared: “I had a bad moment yesterday just driving the car. I had a terrible moment about Linda. Linda and Bernie were forces of nature. Even when Linda was on her Zimmer frame she was still feisty. To lose people like that is really difficult.”
Brian went to see GP in November
Back in November, after noticing he was using the lavatory more frequently, he went to see his GP.
Following PSA blood tests to check for prostate cancer, he underwent an MRI scan post-Christmas and had a biopsy early in the New Year.
His wife Ann, whom he considers his “rock”, helped him decide to stay silent about his cancer worries to avoid further upsetting his siblings, already grieving from Linda’s health decline.
Linda entered end-of-life care in January and passed away on January 15. Brain explains: “I thought I was doing the right thing and I still do. It would have meant more tears and we were already knee-deep in tears and knee-deep in grief.”
Fans gathered in the streets of Blackpool to honour Linda on the day of her funeral, with stars also in attendance to witness her glittering pink coffin being taken into St Paul’s church—a place that held special significance as it was where she married her late husband Brian Hudson in 1981. Blackpool had become a treasured home for the Nolans.
St Paul’s church, which had witnessed Linda’s marriage vows to the Nolan’s former tour manager years before, again opened its doors; this time, it witnessed her final farewell. The town saw a turnout beyond expectations with mourners who came to remember a life well-lived.
Reflecting on the day, her brother expressed his emotions: “The day was so hard but it went as well as can be expected. Everything she wanted, she got. There were too many people at the wake, we only catered for about 260 and there were 400 but it was great. She wanted a send-off like that.”
In Linda’s final hours, Brian spent an exhaustive 28 hours by her side, pushing himself to the point of hallucination due to fatigue.
“There were about 20 of us in there,” he said. “We broke all the rules as we always do and the staff were just extraordinary. She went with everyone she loved around her, just peaceful.”
With the emotional task of organising the funeral behind him, Brian faced another tough moment in revealing to his siblings that he was now battling cancer himself, recalling their reaction: “They were devastated but they were great. We’re all in it together.”
‘People are dying through lack of knowledge’
Brian has chosen to candidly share his prostate cancer diagnosis to boost awareness about the disease. He joins the ranks of high-profile figures like BBC News presenter Bill Turnbull, 66, rock singer Alvin Stardust, 72, and comedian Bob Monkhouse, 75—all of whom faced the disease before passing away.
Brian expressed his feelings on the matter: “My consultant said people are dying through a lack of knowledge, through not doing anything about it.
“I’m going to push for a campaign to send guys a letter once a year to tell them to have a PSA test. What has happened to me has made me philosophical in a short time and angry really because I didn’t really know anything about prostates and I’m 69 years of age. The symptoms are very well hidden and they’re slow-growing tumours.”
Highlighting the often overlooked signs, the NHS website lists common symptoms that include increased frequency of urination, strain during the process, sudden urges, and the presence of blood. In an emotional nod to her brother’s bravery, Coleen expressed her heartfelt support, “He’s my big brother, I love him very much.”
This testing situation might just lead to a breakthrough in understanding why cancer seems prevalent within the family.
The Nolans, Including Brian, Coleen, and their siblings Tommy, 75, Denise, 72, and Maureen, 70, are now undergoing genetic testing at a clinic in Manchester to find answers. “At the start of the whole process they ask you if there’s any history within the family. We said: ‘Have you got an hour?’,” Brian said.
“Both sides there were generations of cancer. We had to write them all out. I’m shocked really, especially when cancer wasn’t the prime source of a lot of the deaths.
“My dad died of systemic cirrhosis but he also had liver cancer. My uncle died of pancreatic cancer. Interestingly, researchers now suspect that these four types of cancer may be connected. We seem to be prone to either breast cancer, prostate cancer, liver cancer, or pancreatic cancer, and they believe it’s hereditary, but so far, they haven’t been able to pinpoint the exact link.”
The sisters he has lost to this disease are always on his mind. “They’re not gone, they’re everywhere,” he says.
“People like that can’t be gone. You keep them alive and remember the positive things.
“They’re all in the same cemetery, so we get to see my wife and Ann’s son.”
Ann’s son, who was just 15, tragically passed away from an epileptic seizure. “Bernie’s got a headstone up there and the funeral director has managed to get a plot for Linda next to Bernie,” Brian adds.
Linda spent many afternoons in a cafe in Stanley Park, where a table is still reserved for the monthly Peach Melba Club, named in honour of her favourite dessert.
Her sister Anne and sister-in-law Ann are both regular attendees, and the Linda Peach Melba can be requested over the counter, served Linda-style with soft ice cream. Brian says: “I’d like to think I would have even half of Linda’s courage if this went haywire.
“I never heard her complain, I never heard Bernie complain either. They had extraordinary hope and positivity.”