Coleen Nolan has revealed she is thinking about having a double mastectomy amid breast cancer fears.
The Loose Women panellist, who was part of The Nolan Sisters with her siblings, has been strongly impacted by the disease – with her sister Bernie dying after a breast cancer battle in 2013.
Earlier this year, Coleen’s sister Anne was told she has breast cancer with her sister Linda revealing shortly after that her breast cancer had returned, spreading to her liver.
Sharing her feelings from the moment she found out about Anne’s diagnosis and Linda’s cancer returning, Coleen said, “When Anne rung me with her terrible news, I had to pass the phone to my daughter because I just broke down.
“Less than a week later, Linda phoned. It was just awful. Absolutely shocking.”
Now, Coleen has confessed she is considering taking preventative action to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer herself, admitting she is struggling to decide whether to go ahead with a double mastectomy.
“It’s like having two time-bombs sitting there, I still lie awake at night worrying. I’m in limbo and really struggling to decide,” the mother-of-three, who shares sons Jake and Shane with ex husband Shane Richie and daughter Ciara with ex husband Ray Fensome.
“It’s a really big operation and my sisters were quite shocked when I told them, but they’ve also been very supportive,” she told OK! magazine.
Opening up on her fears surrounding the procedure, Coleen went on to add, “My breasts are absolutely not worth dying for so I’ve no problem with getting rid of them. It’s the operation, the long recovery and the potential pain that I’m scared of.
“What if I die during the anaesthetic? What if I have my boobs removed and then I get cancer in another part of my body? Then the anger will be tenfold.
“It’s horrendous enough when you’ve got no choice in the matter, but when it’s a voluntary decision to lose your breasts it’s so difficult,” Coleen honestly explained.