Linda Nolan’s sister says funeral was very sad but also joyous

The sister of Linda Nolan says the precocious Irish singer’s ceremonial was “very emotional, precise sad, but connected the different manus it was benignant of joyous”.

Her household said goodbye to her connected Saturday with a work astatine St Paul’s Church successful Blackpool, with fans lining the streets extracurricular arsenic Nolan’s pinkish sparkly coffin was brought in.

With her sisters Denise, Coleen, Bernie, Maureen and Anne, Nolan was portion of the popular radical The Nolans, signaling hits similar Gotta Pull Myself Together and I’m In The Mood For Dancing successful the precocious 70s and aboriginal 80s.

Anne told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that Nolan “would person loved her funeral”, and said if “she could person arranged it herself, she would person arranged it similar that”.

When asked astir the memorial being unfastened to anyone to come, she said: “That’s what Linda wanted. We were doing it for her really.

“It was truly unusual due to the fact that connected the mode to the religion successful the ceremonial cars, arsenic we arrived determination was loads, hundreds of radical extracurricular the church.”

“And my sister Maureen started crying. I mean, we were each precise emotional, but she started crying due to the fact that of each the radical that were there. She said, ‘I’m truthful gladsome due to the fact that Linda would’ve been truthful disappointed if each these radical hadn’t turned up’.”.

Anne besides said: “It was precise emotional, precise sad, but connected the different manus it was benignant of joyous arsenic good … she picked her ain coffin, the pinkish glittery coffin was her idea.”

She added that Nolan besides wanted them to deterioration the Spanish mantilla veils, but aft ordering them the household thought that “she might’ve been having a laughter there”.

“I don’t truly deliberation she wanted america to deterioration mantillas, truthful we didn’t deterioration them,” she added.

“But that was the benignant of humour she had.”

She besides called Nolan a “a forceful” and “a big, large quality successful our household and successful tons of people’s lives”.

The ceremonial was attended by her household members, wearing pinkish ribbons which usually means bosom crab awareness, arsenic good arsenic EastEnders histrion Shane Richie, comedians Tommy Cannon and Paul Elliott – amended known arsenic Paul Chuckle – and vocalist Lisa Maffia.

Charlotte Dawson, the girl of precocious comedian Les Dawson, besides attended, on with Lee Brennan from boyband 911 and Coronation Street histrion Jodie Prenger.

Dublin-born Nolan died past month, with “her loving siblings by her bedside” aged 65. She had gone into a coma aft being admitted to Blackpool Victoria Hospital with treble pneumonia.

She had been diagnosed with bosom crab successful 2005 and was fixed the all-clear successful 2011, but successful 2017 was diagnosed with secondary bosom cancer.

In 2020 it dispersed and by 2023 was successful her brain.

Bernie Nolan died aged 52 successful 2013 aft being diagnosed with cancer.

Nolan was besides known for appearing connected Celebrity Big Brother, her Daily Mirror column, and philharmonic theatre appearances successful shows specified arsenic Blood Brothers, Pump Boys And Dinettes and Prisoner Cell Block H.

Outside her TV and philharmonic career, she helped to rise much than £20 cardinal for galore charities, including Breast Cancer Now, Irish Cancer Society and Samaritans.

Her ceremonial was held successful the religion wherever she wed her precocious husband, Brian Hudson, whom she was joined to for much than 2 decades.