'IT'S HARD RIGHT NOW"

Coleen Nolan talks to us about missing her daughter, new Loose Women panellists and her TV hopes

- ARIANA LONGSON

Having been part of the panel on and off for over 20 years, Coleen Nolan is practically part of the furniture at Loose Women. Loved by viewers for her wit, humour, down-to-earth personality and openness when it comes to sharing details of her life, Coleen, 59, is the epitome of what the show is all about.

And when we catch up with her, it's clear that Loose Women has a special place in Coleen's heart and that she has no plans to leave any time soon, despite having other career goals - including a TV programme with animals'.

Here, the star, who is currently on tour, opens up about her fellow panellists, how she's coping with her youngest, Ciara, being away travelling and how things are going with her logistics worker boyfriend, Michael Jones...

Hi Coleen! What made you decide to do a solo tour?

It was after [Coleen's sister] Linda's re-diagnosis, where her cancer had spread to her brain. You just start to evaluate life a bit more and I thought, 'What will I regret if I get to that stage?" And performing was top of the list. I kept putting it off, saying, 'Oh, I'll do it next year.' And it was Linda actually going, 'No, do it now because Bernie [their sister, who died of breast cancer in 2013], thought she was going to tour the following year, and we didn't because she got ill.'