Linda was born 23 February 1959, in Inchicore, Dublin. She is the third youngest of the Nolan Sisters. The family relocated to Blackpool in 1962 where they established themselves as 'The Singing Nolans' For the next decade, the family toured the Working Men's Club circuit as well as appearing on cruise ships and in cabaret. The family made their debut album in 1972. That year also saw the act release a single; Blackpool, which was played at the town's football stadium's home matches, and a Christmas EP. A chance booking at a Blackpool hotel on Christmas Day in 1973 saw the family being offered a ten year residency at a newly opened cabaret theatre on London's Drury Lane in the heart of the West End. Upon arrival in London, the act was trimmed, their parents were asked to step aside, leaving the stage free for the Nolan Sisters. The BBC's head of light entertainment, Stewart Morris was recruited and put in charge of shaping the act for stardom. Morris brought seasoned choreographer Nigel Lythgoe to create dance routines to accompany the new songs in their act that had been arranged by legendary composers and arrangers, John Coleman and Alyn Aunsworth. The venue, The London Room played host to the sisters for six nights a week. Youngest members, Linda and Bernie had restrictions placed upon them as strict laws liited the number of live engagements they could undertake. Morris was preparing for a new series of 'It's Cliff' for the BBC and brought Cliff Richard to the venue to see the girls perform, with a view to including them into the show. The Nolans were signed to appear in every episode. Their fist sing;e 'But I Do' was featured on the series. Before long, the Sisters were invited onto The Vera Lynn Show, Basil Brush Show and the Harry Seacombe show. In 1975 the Nolan Sisters toured Europe as the support act for Frank Sinatra playing in some of the most prestigious theatres in the world. The appeared in New York with Engelbert Humperdinck and toured South Africa with Rolf Harris. The girls enjoyed huge tv exposure over the nest few years, appearing on two seasons of Vinc Hill's Musical Time Machine, Marti Caine, Wednesday at Eight, Night At The Casino, Seaside Special, Tommy Cooper, Sez Les and a host of other top rated shows. 1978 featured appearances on the entire series of #The Two Ronnies' and the Christmas Day show of 'Morecambe and Wise' both shows having an audience of more than twenty million.
Several singles were released during their years at the London Room, and a gold disc was earned for their debut album '20 Giant Hits' - The girls had recorded a private pressing album to be sold at live shows in 1977. They completed summer season shows at Eastbourne and Blackpool and terminated their contract at the London Room. Soon afterwards they were signed up by Epic/CBS where they recorded a single, hoping to represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest. The 1979 Summer Season at Cleethorpes saw a mobile studio being set up outside their digs to record the first Epic album, The Nolan Sisters. The first single from the album, Spirit Body and Soul was a hit, which saw their debut on Top Of The Pops. The release of the follow up single would launch the girls to Worldwide fame. I'm In The Mood For Dancing was a top three hit in the UK, it also was a chart topper in many countries around the world, including Japan, where the song is still in the top selling singles list of all time. 1980 featured appearances for the whole series of Mike Yarwood in Persons. The two acts would team up for a 26 week summer season at Blackpool's Opera House. The heavy schedule restricted the Nolans from promoting their follow up single and hasty arrangements were made to record the next album at Manchester, during day times. The Nolans were able to complete a promotional tour of Japan later in the year. The following year the act won 'The Tokyo Music Festival' with the song 'Sexy Music'. Over the next two years the Nolans had several hit singles, 'Don't Make Waves' 'Gotta Pull Myself Together' Who's Gonna Rock You' 'Attention To Me' 'Chemistry' 'Don't Love Me Too Hard' 'Crashing Down' Dragonfly and 'Dressed To Kill' - Three further albums were released on the Epic label, 'Making Waves' 'Portrait' and 'Altogether'. As well as several UK tours, the Nolans toured Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, The Phillipines and Hong Kong as well as countless spots on TV around the world. Including a satellite link to Japan where they performed several of their hits. She left The Nolans in December 1983 and quickly gained the label "Naughty Nolan" due to her posing in risqué publicity photos.
Soon after leaving the group, she supported Gene Pitney on his 1984 UK tour. She then went on to perform in theatre, including an eight-season residency as Maggie May on Blackpool's Central Pier (1986–93), where she clocked up over 1,000 performances, followed by two seasons as Rosie O'Grady on Blackpool's South Pier (1994–95). LindA holds the record for the most consecutive summer season shows in the same venue. A waxwork model in Linda's image was made at Louis Tussaud's in the town to make the occasion. During this period, Linda began to co-present 'Crush A Grape' on TV, alongside Stu Francis. This success was replicated when the show toured the UK with Linda as special guest. She also toured with Bobby Crush with a tribute to Burt Bacharrach. Several TV credits followed, including Blankety Blank, Des O'Connor Tonight, 321, The Grumbleweeds and the The James Whale Show. Linda toured extensively on the cabaet circuit and completed several tours of the UK with well known stars. Her first pantomime was in 1983 and Linda has become something of a panto legend, enjoying roles including Dick Whitington, Cinderella, Alladin and more recently, the wicked Queen and Fairy Godmother. From 1996 to 1997, she starred as the prison governor in two UK tours of 'Prisoner: Cell Block H – The Musical' she also appeared in the West End for six weeks with Vic Reeves and Mortimer in 'Shooting Stars' Linda toured the UK with Bobby Crush in 'Back To Bacharach' and with Rose Marie in 'Pump Boys At Dinettes'. From 2000, Linda starred as Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers for three years in the West End, and regularly played the role in the UK touring production until 2008. In 2006, Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer. As part of her treatment, she underwent a single mastectomy. In 2007, she was diagnosed with cellulitis and lymphedema in her arm.
She took time away from Blood Brothers to recuperate. Around this time, Linda's husband, Brian passed away from liver failure. Linda felt unable to carry on with the show and she was replaced by her sister, Maureen. She was the third Nolan to play the role, after Bernie and Denise. Maureen has also since played the role in the West End on the UK tour for several years, earning the sisters a place in the Guinness World Records, as the most siblings to play the same role in a professional musical. In January 2014, she participated in the thirteenth series of Celebrity Big Brother.
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 Songs, hosted by Tess Daly, which aired on 17 December 2005and again on 9 August 2007 on Loose Women. They were asked if there was any chance of a re-union and all of them dismissed it, however, The Nolans did re-form for the 2009 I'm in the Mood Again album and tour. They also released an album I'm in the Mood Again, which reached Number 22 on the UK Albums Chart. Later that year she starred in Pantomime with her sister, Maureen, at Wimbledon.
Linda was felt well enough to resume her solo singing career and went on to tour the UK and Ireland with 'Memopause The Musical' and took part in Pantomimes once more. She became a regular panelist on Loose Women after being given the all-clear from cancer in 2011.In 2017 whilst in Panto in Preston, Linda fell on her hip and was taken to hospital, where doctors discovered a form of incurable secondary breast cancer on her hip. She began undergoing regular radiotherapy treatment to make sure that the cancer would not spread. She was told that the cancer was incurable, but treatable.
Four of the Nolans wrote a memoir 'Survivors' whch was a best seller as was Linda's autobiography 'From The Heart'. Linda later announced that her cancer had spread to her liver. For the third time she would undergo chemotherapy that would take away her hair. Anne Nolan announced that her breast cancer had returned. The two sisters underwent treatment at the same time and wrote a book outlining their cancer story.
In 2020, four of the Nolans were approached to film a new series for Quest TV - The Nolans Go Crusing, which the completed just prior to the Covid Lockdown. The programme was a ratings hit with the show being seen in more than eiighty countries. A follow up could not be completed because of restrictions, and so an alternative, At Home With The Nolans, was produced. The second series of Cruising With The Nolans was made the following year. The series was short-listed for a TV Choice award.
On 27 March 2023, Linda announced that the cancer had now metastasized to her brain, with a tumor discovered on the left side of her brain, resulting in balance loss on her right side and forcing her to use a wheelchair. She has expressed an interest in trying out a new drug that was released in 2022 to treat the brain cancer. Linda underwent two weeks of radiotherapy and is currenly undergoing chemotherapy. The new chemotherapy has allowed her hair to start growing once more. In 2023 the Nolans were honoured to have a Blue Plaque unveiled at the very hotel that they were discovered in - The Cliffs on Christmas Day 1973. Linda now writes a weekly column in the Daily Mirror.
LATEST LINDA NEWS
October 2023
The Nolans honoured with Blue Plaque
August 2023
Linda reveals that her hair has started to grow back!
Photo: Adam Nolan
Linda has joined the Daily Mirror as one of their regular columnists. You can read her weekly column here
LINDA'S APPEARANCE ON GOOD MORNING BRITAIN - AUGUST 5th 2020
NEWS FROM LINDA
ARCHIVE NEWS FROM LINDA BELOW
NEW BOOK FROM ANNE & LINDA
CLICK COVER TO PURCHASE
THE NOLANS NEW ALBUM
LINDA'S CANCER STORY
The news that Linda' cancer has spread was revealed exclusively in the Sun newspaper on 3rd August 2020. You can read the full interview here. Linda is currently undergoing treatment and we are confident that she will be back on track in a very short time.
Picture credit Dan Charity: The Sun
THE NOLANS GO CRUISING - QUEST RED TV - TUESDAYS 10PM
The Nolans: Go Crusing has been a smash hit for Quest Red TV. With the show receiving some of the highest ratings the channel has ever had. The show follows the Nolan sisters Coleen, Linda, Maureen and Anne as they go on their first shared trip and first singing reunion in decades.The sisters will embark on two cruises around the Mediterranean onboard the MSC Grandiosa and across the eight-episode series they will prepare to perform their hit single I’m In The Mood For Dancing on their final night on the ship in front of their fellow passengers. The ladies bond over visits to beautiful cities and towns, enjoy the luxury treatment on board one of the biggest Cruise ships in the world, while preparing for a grand finale reunion show on the ship. The series will explore themes of loss, finding love in middle age and the strength of female friendships. They will also address issues such as Linda’s fight with incurable breast cancer, low self-esteem, and what single life in middle age means for them. The Nolans: In The Mood For Cruising is the sisters’ first TV show and singing reunion together in decades. Ahead of the show, Coleen said: “The four of us are so excited to go on this trip; there are things that we all want to tick off our bucket lists, and this is definitely one of them! “We want to give Linda the trip and performance of a lifetime!” Linda added: “This trip is going to be a riot and I cannot wait. Also we get to perform together again, and with Anne, and that will be very special.” The news comes after Coleen Nolan admitted her "libido is dead" after making the candid confession that she hasn't had sex for years, in an exclusive interview with Mirror Online. The singer and Loose Women star, 54, divorced second husband Ray Fensome in 2018, saying the "emotional and physical connection" had gone from their relationship. Coleen hasn't ruled out finding love once more, but says she'll never get married again.
From the writers of the hit comedy Hormonal Housewives, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun is the brand-new musical comedy show that does exactly what it says on the tin.
AS SOON AS THIS SHOW IS RESCHEDULED WE WILL AMEND THE TOUR DATES.
Join our four refreshingly honest and unreserved girls, the Legendary Linda Nolan, X Factor Finalist Niki Evans, TV Personality Jess Wright (until 8th May), CBBC Creeped Out’s Stephanie Dooley (from 9th May) and Olivier Award Winner Leanne Jones as they go on a riotous evening of laugh-out-loud sketches and classic pop anthems that define being a 21st Century woman.
We take a no-holds-barred comedy romp through everything life throws at a modern day woman, dating, relationships, breakups, fashion, dieting, chocolate, more dieting, sex, going out, staying in, wine, more wine and of course, men. All are thrown under the microscope of uproarious dissection – no subject is too taboo!
Get involved and come along to channel your inner diva because Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!
HUDSON'S GIN!!
Linda launches her own brand of Gin, Hudson's, named in honour of her late husband, Brian. The first batch sold out within a couple of days, making it the best selling celebrity gin in the UK.
LINDA'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE (CLICK COVER)
LINDA'S CHARITY WORK NEWS
LINDA is a major charity contributor. Her charity work blossomed when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in the mid 2000's. She underwent a mastectomy and chemotherapy. After being given the all clear she had a breast reconstruction. Since losing her husband in 2008, It is well documented that Linda has suffered with depression, which is understandable. She is heavily involved with the charities.
*HUG IN A BAG * ASDA'S TICKLED PINK * BREAST CANCER CARE* BLACKPOOL TRINITY HOSPICE * THE SAMARITANS * SHARON FOX CANCER CENTRE * VARIETY CLUB CHILDREN'S CHARITY.
LINDA NOLAN PICTURES