Coleen Nolan has opened up on her love life as she admits she has signed up to take part in reality TV show Celebs Go Dating and is ‘nervous’
Her love life has rarely been plain sailing, but despite two failed marriages and a recent romance coming to an end, Coleen Nolan is determined to find love again at 60. The Loose Women favourite confirmed she’d secretly signed up for Celebs Go Dating, but added that she is “mortified” to be taking part in the E4 reality show and has been feeling “so excited” and “so nervous”.
The mum-of-three’s decision to put her fate in the hands of the matchmaking show has sparked concern among some pals, who worry about her finding her new man on television. And if the experiences of one of her close friends are anything to go by, they are right to be concerned.
Last week a source told new Coleen went against the advice of her friend Vanessa Feltz, who appeared on the show in 2023 and famously described the experience as “absolute hell”. “Vanessa told Coleen Celebs Go Dating was the worst thing she’d ever done,” our source says. “She hated her time on the show and she’s made no secret of that.
But despite her warnings, Coleen wants to try and expand her work and try different things. And this was an opportunity she thought might be fun. It’s come at a good time for her. She’s ready to date again.”
Coleen has been single since splitting from supermarket logistics manager Michael Jones in late 2024. The couple met on dating app Tinder, but went their separate ways after three and a half years together. Prior to that, she famously married EastEnders actor Shane Richie in 1990, but after having two children together, Shane Jr, 37, and Jake, 33, they divorced nine years later.
In 2007, she got hitched to musician Ray Fensome, with whom she shares a daughter, Ciara, 24, but they split in 2018, with Coleen saying at the time, “There is too much dividing me and Ray. We can’t go back.” Now, after more than a year as a singleton and with her milestone 60th birthday out of the way, it looks like Coleen is ready to open her heart again.
“She’s determined to find the right man and she’s definitely ready for love,” says our source. “She wants someone who can make her laugh and entertain her, but not someone who’s in the limelight. That doesn’t really work for her. She’d love to find someone who’s a good family man, has similar values and a brilliant sense of humour.”
Despite Vanessa’s fears that signing up for Celebs Go Dating could be a mistake, Coleen is no stranger to the ups and downs of reality TV. The singer and presenter finished fourth on Dancing On Ice back in 2009 and famously won Celebrity Big Brother in 2017.
But although she won over the public, Coleen – who’d previously appeared on the show in 2012 – confessed to feeling “traumatised” by the experience, which saw her clash with the late How Clean Is Your House? star Kim Woodburn. “It was absolutely horrendous,” she said. “They were brutal this time… it was just relentless.”
Celebs Go Dating, in which contestants are guided by experts Paul Carrick Brunson and Anna Williamson, might be more appealing than some of the other reality shows Coleen has recently been offered.
Last year she revealed she’d turned down the chance to appear on the controversial ITV series Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters, saying, “To be honest with you, I’m just not a risk taker.”
One thing likely to have spurred Coleen on to take part in Celebs Go Dating is the recent Loose Women cuts, which have seen the show’s air time slashed to just 30 weeks per year.
Opening up about the impact on her finances, Coleen said last month, “On one hand, you go, ‘Quite nice time off.’ But then on the other hand, you go, ‘I’ve still got bills to pay.’”
The star, who lives on a farm in north Staffordshire, previously voiced her financial fears following her split from Michael, saying, “Bills are going up, mortgages have gone up. Just when you think, ‘Oh, OK, I can do this,’ then something else goes up and you think, ‘Oh my God.’
So although it looks like I’ve got a lovely life, a lovely little farm – and it is lovely, and I know there’s a lot of people worse off – [but] I’ve still got those worries. Especially at the moment, mine is the only income coming in.”
Coleen’s attempt to find love again also comes at a pivotal moment in the star’s life – last month marked one year since her beloved sister, Linda, died aged 65 after a long battle with cancer. She also became a grandmother for the fourth time in October, after daughter Ciara welcomed a son, Sidney.
But with Ciara, her fiancé Maxx Innes, and their newborn continuing to live on Coleen’s six-acre farm, it’s said Coleen feels it’s the perfect time to put herself – and her love life – first. “She is in a good mindset to try new things, including dating,” says our source.
“Ciara has had a baby and Coleen feels it’s time to bring some romance into her life. She thought it would be a laugh. She’s been through some really tragic times, losing her sisters, so she wants to get some fun and lightness into her life again and hopes a new man can do that.”
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