Linda Nolan Irish singer, actress and television presenter Date of Birth: 23.02.1959 Country: Ireland

1. Early Life and Family
2. Music Career
3. Musical Theatre
4. Celebrity Big Brother (UK Series 13)
5. Personal Life

Early Life and Family

Linda Nolan was born in Halls Street Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, to Tommy and Maureen Nolan. The family lived in Raheny, a suburb of Dublin. They resided there until Linda was three years old, before relocating to Blackpool in 1962. Subsequently, Tommy and Maureen formed the Singing Nolans, of which Linda was a member. She attended St Catherine's Catholic High School in Blackpool, as well as Cardinal Wiseman School in Greenford, West London.

Music Career

In 1981, Linda recorded a minor hit with "Don't Do That" (UK No. 63) as part of Young & Moody Band with her sister Coleen. Lemmy from Motorhead and Cozy Powell also featured on the track.

Leaving the Nolans in December 1983, she quickly earned the moniker "Naughty Nolan" due to posing for risqué promotional photographs. The Nolans reunited as a five-piece (Bernie, Anne, Coleen, Maureen, and Linda) for one-off performances of "I'm in the Mood for Dancing," first for BBC One's All Time Greatest Party, hosted by Tess Daly, which aired on December 17, 2005, and again on August 9, 2007, on Loose Women. Four of the sisters (Linda, Bernie, Coleen, and Maureen) reunited in 2009 for a successful UK and Ireland tour. They also released the album I'm in the Mood Again, which charted at No. 22 on the UK Albums Chart.

Musical Theatre

After leaving the group, Nolan went on to play Maggie May on Blackpool's Central Pier for eight summer seasons (1986–93), giving over 1,000 performances. She then starred in a similar show on Blackpool's South Pier as Rosie O'Grady for two seasons (1994–95).

From 1996 to 1997, she played the prison governor in two UK tours of Prisoner: Cell Block H - The Musical, alongside Paul O'Grady.

Beginning in 2000, she played Mrs. Johnstone in Blood Brothers for three years in the West End and performed the role regularly on UK tours until 2008. She was the third Nolan sister to play the role after Bernie and Denise. Maureen Nolan has also since played the part in both the West End and UK tours over the years, earning the sisters a place in the Guinness World Records as the siblings who have played the same role in a musical.

Nolan has also appeared on Blankety Blank, with Anne and her daughter Alex on Celebrity Pressure Pad, and with Bernie on Celebrity Pointless.

Celebrity Big Brother (UK Series 13)

In January 2014, Nolan took part in the thirteenth series of Celebrity Big Brother. Previously, her sister Coleen had participated and finished as the runner-up in the tenth series.

Upon learning that she was to be handcuffed, she lived up to her nickname of "Naughty Nolan" by stating, "I quite like a bit of bondage."

Jim Davidson, who was also a contestant that year, had history with Nolan; in 1995, Nolan's husband Brian Hudson was caught during an attempted theft of money from comedian Frank Carson's dressing room at the South Pier theater in Blackpool. This led to an angry confrontation with Davidson, who was also playing there at the time, and he stormed off, shouting, "Nobody steals from my mates," and threatening to punch him. Davidson was promptly ejected from the venue. On Day 15, Davidson reminded Nolan of his actions, resulting in an argument. She was evicted on Day 22.

Personal Life

Nolan met Brian Hudson in 1979, and they married in 1981. He had been the Nolans' tour manager until 1983 and became his wife's manager after she left the group. They were married for 26 years until his death on September 21, 2007, from liver failure.

In 2006, Nolan was diagnosed with breast cancer. As part of her treatment, she underwent a mastectomy. In 2011, she was given the all-clear from cancer. In 2007, she was diagnosed with cellulitis and lymphedema in her arm.

On July 7, 2014, Nolan stated that she had been sexually assaulted by Rolf Harris in 1975 while the Nolans were supporting Harris on a tour of South Africa.

In 2017, Nolan had a fall and injured her hip. While in the hospital, doctors discovered that she had an incurable form of secondary breast cancer in her pelvis. She began having regular radiotherapy to keep the cancer from spreading but had stated that she would refuse chemotherapy if the cancer became untreatable after witnessing Bernie's struggle with the treatment in 2013. On March 27, 2023, Nolan disclosed that the cancer had now spread to her brain, as a tumor was found in the left side of her brain, causing her to lose her balance on the right side and forcing her to use a wheelchair. She also expressed interest in trying a new drug released in 2022 for treating brain cancer.