Linda Nolan on shock of "double nightmare" cancer diagnosis in lockdown
Her sister Anne has also learnt she has cancer
Last updated 4th Aug 2020
Linda Nolan has spoken on TV for the first time about her and her sister Anne's saddening cancer diagnosis during lockdown, which she described as a "double nightmare" after finding out she had liver cancer just half an hour after Anne was told she had stage three breast cancer.
Appearing on ITV's Good Morning Britain, the sister of Loose Women panellist Coleen Nolan spoke of her anguish of being unable to physically support Anne, while admitting she didn't tell her family of her diagnosis for three days.
She said, "During the lockdown it's been a double nightmare. All we initially were able to do was phone her (Anne) to say we were here, or wave at her through the window. So that has made it more difficult.
"I think Anne has struggled with that, because she has two daughters and grandchildren. Not being able to have their support, as in hugging... and they're all made about their gran, so it's been difficult."
Anne, who was too poorly to join Linda today after "having everything thrown at her to make her well again", found a lump in her breast which was confirmed as cancer on 7th May and began chemotherapy almost straight away.
Linda revealed she then got a phone call from her oncologist's secretary just 30 minutes later in which she was told she had liver cancer - her third cancer diagnosis. Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 and secondary cancer on her pelvis in 2017. She now has incurable liver cancer.
The Nolan sisters also lost their eldest sister Bernie in 2013 following a battle with cancer.
But showing positivity despite the tragic turn of events, Linda told Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard, "We're now the Chemo sisters. Someone said we could do a Right Said Fred impression."
"(At Chemotherapy) we have a good old chinwag. We compare side effects, pins and needles in our fingers and toes - we swap all those, that information."
She concluded, "Don't get me wrong, we've both had our moments, we're both scared to death, we want to live. But I'm getting great treatment and I'm going to be living with cancer and I propose I do that for an awful long time."
We are sending love to Linda and Anne at this tough time.