BERNIE Nolan was the lead singer in a band with her sisters called the Nolans.
Sadly, she passed away in 2013 after battling breast cancer and is survived by her sisters and daughter.
Bernadette ‘Bernie’ Nolan was an Irish actress, singer and television personality, and was the former lead singer of the girl group the Nolans.
She was the second youngest of sisters Anne, Denise, Maureen, Linda and Coleen.
She was brought up in Blackpool, Lancashire, England from the tender age of two.
She also became an actor and featured in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside from 2000–2002 and the ITV police drama The Bill from 2002–2005.
Bernie passed away at the age of 52 from breast cancer in 2013.
Loose Woman panelist and sister Coleen, says Bernie “wouldn’t accept” she was dying during her cancer battle.
The star told Piers Morgan: “Bernie would not accept any other scenario except she’s going to live.
“What ever they said, she was going to live. And I guess she convinced us of that as well.”
She added: “I’ll never ever forget her. And we talk about her as if she’s still here and it still does feel like she’s a massive part of our family because whatever we do, Bernie is mentioned.
“Sometimes sadly because everything we do we say, Bernie would love this. She was just so full of life and it was, it was… hard.”
Bernie married drummer Steve Doneathy in 1996, in Lancashire and the couple lived together in Surrey.
The singer commented on how much she enjoyed living in the South Eastern county.
She told Great British Life: “It’s so beautiful round here. We do have such gorgeous places to walk – we’re often in Hurst Park making friends with other dogs, or walking along the river towpath by the Swan in Walton.
“There’s always a pub nearby when we go for a walk! You really appreciate it when you’ve been away.”
Bernie had previously been in a relationship with actor and presenter Bradley Walsh.
She had a daughter Kate, who was stillborn in 1998 and another daughter, Erin in 1999, who was just 14 when Bernie passed away.
Coleen spoke more about her beloved sister and said: “Losing Bernie was just catastrophic in our family. She was the life and soul of our family. We all pulled each other through it.
“And then me and my sisters had this fantastic opportunity to do the cruising show. And literally within two or three weeks of it finishing, first Anne was diagnosed again and then literally four days later Linda.
“And it was just bam. It was really shocking.”
