EastEnders actor and Chuckle Brother among stars at Linda Nolan’s funeral | Ents & Arts News

EastEnders actor Shane Ritchie and comedian Paul Chuckle were among the stars at singer Linda Nolan’s funeral in Blackpool on Saturday.

Nolan died at the age of 65 last month having been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005.

Her pink, sparkly coffin was carried into St Paul’s Church in her home city by her sons and others – while her sisters wore pink breast cancer broaches and earrings – opting for pink handbags to contrast with their black outfits.

Sisters Linda, Coleen, Bernie, Maureen, Anne, and Denise formed The Nolans in the 1970s and had hits including I’m In The Mood For Dancing and Gotta Pull Myself Together.

Linda Nolan also had a career in musical theatre, starring in Blood Brothers, Prisoner Cell Block H, and Pump Boys And Dinettes.

In her later years, she appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and wrote a column for the Daily Mirror newspaper.

A framed photo of her was placed outside the church and There You’ll Be by Faith Hill was played as mourners arrived.

In her eulogy, Denise Nolan-Anderson said: “She really loved going to premieres and opening nights, having her beautiful hair and make-up done, and always was the life and soul of any big occasion. She would have loved all the fuss today.”

She also said Linda showed “courage in the face of adversity”, adding: “It’s time to rest now Linda. The battle is over, you are free.”

Speaking before the service, Paul Elliott, better known as Paul Chuckle of the Chuckle Brothers, said he last saw her in 2024, adding: “She was just a fun, bubbly person. The world’s a darker place without her.”

Shane Richie was previously married to Coleen Nolan. Other stars who paid their respects at the funeral included Charlotte Dawson, singer Lisa Maffia, and comedian Tommy Cannon.

The family statement announcing her death read: “At around 10.20am on Wednesday 15th January, she passed peacefully, with her loving siblings by her bedside, ensuring she was embraced with love and comfort during her final moments, aged 65.”

After her initial diagnosis, Nolan helped to raise £20m for charities Breast Cancer Now and the Irish Cancer Society.

She had a mastectomy and was given the all-clear in 2011 – but was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer that spread to her liver in 2020 and her brain in 2023.

The singer was born in Dublin but made Blackpool her home – marrying her husband of more than two decades, the late Brian Hudson, there.

The family are raising money for Trinity Hospice in her memory – another organisation Nolan supported.