"I kept saying, 'He's going to die'": Coleen Nolan opens up about son's drug addiction
Lancashire star Coleen Nolan has revealed how her son’s secret drug addiction cost him his marriage and nearly his life.
Blackpool born singer turned TV presenter Coleen, 60, has always been rather open about her personal life.
In a new video shared to Youtube over the weekend however, the mum of three was particulaly candid about a less glamorous part of her family’s life.
Sharing a clip from the video to Instagram on Sunday, the Nolans singer said; “We love sharing our lives with you and bringing you fun and light relief, but as we all know life is not always a bed of roses. What I’ve not spoken about before is that my eldest son @iamshanenolan had a drug addiction that ended in rehab. But we now wanted to open up and share this part of our story ❤️ new video uploaded to YouTube x”
In the clip, Coleen says: “I remember when you passed out and split your head open early in the morning. That was my breaking point because I thought ‘if this doesn't wake him up, he’s going’ - I kept saying, 'He's going to die'.”
Shane then responds: “To be fair, I was in rehab the following week.”
Coleen continues: “Yeah I know. I instantly phoned Jake [her other son], I sobbed on the phone to Jake. He’d just got off a plane and he went, I’m getting on a train now up to you.
“From a mother's point of view, I just felt it was something I’d done something wrong. I really blamed me for all of it. People kept saying, 'You have to talk to him, you have to do this' and I couldn't. I thought, 'I'm really failing on all levels here.”
Elsewhere in the full video, entertainer Shane told his mum that his drug addicition came about due to his hectic work life.
The father of one, who frequently tours with his music, said: “The constant moving, the travelling all of the time, having to be on stage until 11 o'clock at night, so the only way to pick yourself up is to [do drugs].
“I'd have a three day bender but I wasn't [doing drugs] Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. It probably would have got to that. I was splitting up, I was going through a tough time work wise, I didn't know what I wanted to do,"
The Loose Woman panelist also shared how her son’s drug addiction helped lead to the breakdown of his relationship with his ex-wife, Maddie.
Coleen said: “It might be a great high for however long but you were broke, you got into a lot of debt, as everyone does with addiction. Relationships, you f***ed your marriage basically."
Shane - who had been with Maddie for seven years, married for one, before the break-up - is now in a relationship with girlfriend Kimberly Sallis and he credits her with helping him recover.
The singer, who is even expecting a baby with Kimberly, told his mum: “I think I've had to grow up. I've got a girlfriend who has helped me through it massively, we're starting a family now."
Sharing the video his own Facebook account last night, Shane added: “Listen if I can get to a dark place and come out the other side then there’s hope for us all. Please talk, but at the end of the day it’s up to the individual to want to change. My family and friends have been my rock , my new girlfriend, her daughter and our new baby on the way are my inspiration. Once again thank you so much, I promise the next videos to come will be less deep.”
Also over the weekend, Coleen shared some more positive family news.
Sharing a photo of herself and sister Anne to her instagram, the former Celebrity Big Brother star wrote: Some more great news in the family. So thrilled for my sister @annenolanofficial , who is officially cancer free! You fought so hard and beat breast cancer for the second time. Massive congratulations Anne, love you millions xx
In the comments, fellow Blackpool born star, actress Hayley Tamaddon wrote: “🙌🥰❤️”
Anne’s good news comes just weeks after another Nolan sibling - Brian revealed he too was cancer free.
Elsewhere the Nolans are also expecting two more new additions to the family as well as son Shane’s expected bundle of joy, Coleen’s daughter Ciara is currently pregnant with her first child too.