Singer Coleen Nolan encourages others to quit smoking after health scare
The presenter and singer has been smoking for around 40 years
After 40 years of smoking, singer and presenter Coleen Nolan is joining calls for people to stop smoking after a health scare.
The 58-year-old recently quit smoking after she thought she was “going to die” as she was struggling to breathe as a result of an acute chest infection.
After the health scare she gave up cigarettes and has not smoked for more than three months.
The new campaign urges 6 million smokers in England and Scotland to make an attempt at stopping.
"My advice is not to do it"
The Loose Women presenter, who rose to fame singing with her sisters in The Nolans, said she was not aware of the health risks when she first started smoking.
Coleen has joined forces with leading health charities Cancer Research UK, Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) and Asthma and Lung UK and the Government to urge smokers to quit on No Smoking Day.
“I smoked for about 40 years and was heavily influenced by my friends and family around me,” she said.
“At such a young age I wasn’t aware of the health risks of smoking and soon found myself becoming addicted.
“Following a recent health scare, I realised how precious life is and became determined to quit, not just for my own health, but so I can be there fully for my children and grandchildren.
“To anyone out there thinking of giving up smoking, my advice is do it.”
400,000 hospital admissions due to smoking in England alone
It's after joint research from leading health charities and the Government, who've teamed up to urge more people to quit, found there were 400,000 hospital admissions in England due to smoking between 2022 and 2023.
Figures show there are over 5 million smokers across England and around 730,000 in Scotland, and that cigarettes are responsible for 64,000 deaths per year in England alone.
A new stop-smoking initiative's being launched today, on the 40th anniversary of No Smoking Day, in line with government plans to bring about the first smoke free generation and introduce legislation so children turning fifteen this year or younger can never legally be sold tobacco.
Smoking rates have reduced by two-thirds since the first year of No Smoking Day, but smoking is still the single largest preventable cause of death in England.
A big price to pay
Department of Health & Social Care figures show the average smoker spends around ÂŁ47 a week on tobacco, which is around ÂŁ2,450 a year.
But the cost to society surpasses ÂŁ17 billion per year, which includes a ÂŁ14 billion cost to productivity and ÂŁ3 billion cost to the NHS and social care.
Public Health Minister Andrea Leadsom said:
“Smoking is the biggest preventable killer in the UK and places a huge burden on our NHS. Cigarettes are responsible for 64,000 deaths a year in England - no other consumer product kills up to two-thirds of its users.
“That’s why No Smoking Day is still so important 40 years on from its launch. We are taking action to prevent our children from ever lighting a cigarette, and our proposed historic Tobacco and Vapes Bill will safeguard the next generation from the harms of smoking and risk of addiction.”
Chief Medical Officer for England Professor Chris Whitty said:
“Cigarettes kill. They cause at least 15 different types of cancers and increase your risk of developing more than 50 serious health conditions.
“Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health - no matter your age or how long you have smoked.”