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Linda Nolan had been battling a “severe case of the flu” in the weeks leading up to her death at the age of 65 from breast cancer.
The TV personality and singer, who had secondary breast cancer, passed away at Blackpool Victoria Hospital at around 10.20am, surrounded by her family and surviving sisters, Anne, Coleen and Maureen.
As reported by Daily Mail UK, Nolan wrote in a newspaper column how the Christmas season was “completely wiped out” due to a crippling illness that lasted 11 days. She said the illness was “a bad case of the flu,” and recalled a “shaky feeling” in her legs and difficulty breathing.
On New Year’s Eve, Nolan’s family asked her to go to the hospital for a checkup, but she expressed optimism about the future and said she was starting to feel better.
Before her death, Nolan also revealed that her last wish was to have one more Christmas. She expressed gratitude for being able to attend Christmas and spend time with her sisters in an interview with The Mirror in December.
Nolan expressed her desire to “keep breathing and meet someone else” and admitted she feared Christmas 2024 would be her last.
“Obviously to not die,” she replied, adding that she hopes “to be here with my family” in 2025.