Coleen Nolan reveals Linda Nolan's heartbreaking final words before her death as loved ones prepare to say goodbye
24 January 2025, 22:43
Coleen Nolan has revealed Linda Nolan's heartbreaking final words before her death as loved ones prepare to say goodbye.
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Linda died on January 15 after contracting double pneumonia over Christmas and New Year.
The Irish star, who had also faced an ongoing battle with breast cancer, was part of the family group The Nolans, which also included her sisters Coleen, Maureen, Bernie, Denise and Anne.
She was side-by-side with her sisters in her final moments, which were said to have been full of "love and laughter".
Opening up about what happened, Coleen said there were "no tears" as she gave Linda "a big hug and a kiss" knowing it would be the last time.
"It’s been 10 days since my lovely sister Linda died and it’s still hard to believe she’s gone," Coleen told the Mirror.
"As we prepare for her funeral, when she will be buried with her husband Brian’s ashes, I’m holding on to the memory of the last day I spent with her in hospital, which was full of love and laughter.
"My daughter Ciara and I sat with her and we said everything we needed to say to each other. She told us how much she loved us and we told her we loved her.
"I think she knew it would be the last time she’d see us, but there were no tears."
She went on to say: "Although she had double pneumonia and was on oxygen, she was cracking jokes, being her usual funny self and eating the chocolate people had brought her.
"She wanted to hear about my new grandson and I showed her lots of photos of him."
Remembering her last words, Coleen said: "When I left that evening, I told her I’d come and visit the next day and she said, 'Oh, you don’t have to' and I said, 'I know, but I will' and then she said, 'Col, I really love you'."
She continued: "We were all exhausted and my sisters told me to go, as I had a two-hour drive home, so I gave Linda a big hug and a kiss, and I knew it would be the last time.
"When Maureen called the next morning to say Linda had died, I didn’t feel sad that I wasn’t there when she took her last breath because we’d got to spend that precious day together and I’m grateful for that."
The family are now making plans for the funeral, with Linda having shared her wishes before she passed.
Coleen said she asked for everyone to wear black and wear mantillas.
"I remember saying, 'You are joking, Linda! If I see all my sisters in mantillas, I’m going to laugh the whole way through the funeral," she said.
"We’ve decided not to do that, but we are wearing black. Her coffin is pure showbiz – bright pink and sparkly, just as she wanted.
"The one thing my sister loved was bling – her trainers had bling on them, her handbags, her tops, her walking stick – so it feels right that she has a glittery pink coffin."
