The Nolans reveal emotional reason for special gig and future after Linda's death

Maureen, Denise and Anne took to the stage over the weekend to pay tribute to their late sisters Bernie and Linda who had both battled cancer in their lives

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Three members of The Nolans reunited on stage this weekend to perform a special one-off gig to help raise money for cancer following the loss of two of their sisters to the illness in recent years.

Anne, 74, Denise, 73, and 71-year-old Maureen performed at Sheffield's City Hall on Saturday night alongside a string of other stars to help raise money for Weston Park Cancer Charity.

Sadly youngest sister, Loose Women star Coleen Nolan, 60, was unable to join her older siblings due to work commitments and was said to be "absolutely gutted" as they were "doing it in honour of Bernie and Linda."

Tragically, the family has also been blighted by cancer, with sister Bernie dying from breast cancer in 2013 at the age of just 52.

Then in January this year, Linda died from pneumonia aged 65 after her incurable secondary breast cancer spread to her brain two decades after her initial cancer diagnosis.

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Surviving sister Anne, who took to the stage, has also had cancer twice, and their 70-year-old brother, Brian, was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer.

The show, called Simply The Best, was the first time this line-up of the Anglo-Irish sisters had performed together since 1978, performing hits including Attention To Me, Gotta Pull Myself Together and of course, In The Mood for Dancing.

One of the biggest-selling girl groups of all time, they've sold 30 million records worldwide and have a particularly big following in Japan.

Their biggest hit is "In The Mood For Dancing," but it was the first time Denise had performed the song, as she left the band before it was released in 1979.

Sharing their reasons for doing the special show, Denise told the BBC they were determined "to do their sisters proud" and said: "Everything is difficult when someone goes, everything is a memory.

"But I think professionalism takes over. I did Linda's eulogy when she passed away, and of course, right up to the moment you think, 'Am I going to break down?'

"But you get up there and it's like you're speaking to somebody else, you're doing your job, and that kicks in and you know you want to make someone proud."

The trio also sang Tell Me It's Not True from Blood Brothers, for which they won a Guinness World Record, as Linda, Maureen, and Bernie had played the role of Mrs Johnstone.

They were joined by stars such as Dr Ranj Singh, Layton Williams, Janette Manrara and Darren Day at the fundraising event. The show, dubbed Simply the Best, was hosted by the cancer charity BB With Love, which was established by Michael, Rachel, Sean and Matthew Croke in memory of their mum Bev Croke, who succumbed to breast cancer in March 2021. The charity's name could be seen projected onto the wall as the Nolan siblings performed, reports the Daily Star.

The Crokes have raised over £250K through a variety of charity events, with all proceeds raised going directly to helping cancer patients and their loved ones. This includes extra aftercare, more research, additional treatments, alternative remedies, and mental health support.

The trio will be appearing at the Talking Pictures Festival of Film & TV Roadshow at the Hebden Bridge Picture House next Saturday for an exclusive Q&A.

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