Coleen Nolan admits 'death is coming' amid sister Linda's incurable cancer battle - and how late sister Bernie's passing changed her outlook on grief

Coleen Nolan opened up about the inevitability of death as she discussed her new book on Wednesday. 

The Loose Women panellist spoke candidly about her outlook on life and experiences of grief after a period of intense loss. 

The Nolan sister, 59, tragically lost her sister Bernie, 52, in 2013 after a three year battle with breast cancer, while her other sister Linda is currently battling terminal cancer. 

Speaking on This Morning to promote her latest book A Hand To Hold, Coleen expressed: 'Whether we like it or not... Hopefully not for many, many years, it's [death's] coming to us all. 

'And we need to be open about it because people grieve so differently I've never met two people who grieve the same.'

Discussing her own experiences she added: 'We've had people cross the street because they don't know what to say to us when we lost Bernie.' 

Reflecting on Bernie's death she shared how her sister helped her get through her grief.  

'Bernie said to me "You can cry for two weeks a lot, because I deserve it. But then I want you to get up and carry on with it"

'And two weeks down the line I still didn't want to get up, I didn't want to do anything, to be honest. But I kept hearing her go, "Come on now!"'

As well as Bernie, Coleen also lost her parents, her sister-in-law, Linda's husband and her auntie. 

Speaking how she got through it all she told hosts Craig Doyle and Sian Welby: 'Bernie's talk is what has pushed me through all of it because you do have to carry on. And you can be fine for six months then out of the blue it hits you again.' 

Describing how it has changed her outlook on life she explained: 'The biggest learning for me is I guess that life has to go on and it does go on and in actual fact, and this is terrible, but none of it matters. 

'None of this matters. I used to get so stressed and down about things, now I go "I bet Bernie wishes she was hear getting down about her tax bill or next job" and it puts everything into perspective. I grasp every day that I can.' 

It comes after Linda revealed on Wednesday that a groundbreaking cancer drug currently blocked by the NHS could be her final hope in battling the disease.

The singer, 65, shared the heartbreaking news that she's been told by doctors her tumours have 'grown' as her treatment has 'stopped working', and is set to begin a course of the breast cancer drug Enhertu.

In an interview with The Mirror, Linda shared that while it's 'amazing' that she is able to have the drug, it's devastating many other women have missed out.

Currently, Enhertu is not available on the health service in England after its manufacturers and the NHS spending watchdog failed to reach an agreement on price.

She said of the treatment: 'To be able to try a new drug is amazing, I just wish everyone could have this opportunity.

'To be able to try this is hope - it’s a plan B not everyone is being allowed. To take this drug away from women is to take away their hope.'

But while Linda welcomed the new drug, she said she's dreading the side-effects after medics informed her it was a 'possibility' that she'll lose her hair - which will be the fifth time for Linda amid her years of chemotherapy.

The brave star is trying to keep a positive outlook however as she insisted that she's 'ready to try anything', declaring that as she's done this before, she can 'do it again'.

Linda was first diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer in 2005 before getting the all-clear in 2006. But in 2017 she was diagnosed with a form of incurable secondary cancer in her hip, which spread to her liver in 2020.

Last year, she shared the news that the cancer had spread to her brain, with two tumours discovered on the left side of her brain which left her struggling with her speech and balance.