Coleen Nolan on Loose Women censorship, online trolls and that Kim Woodburn row – Daily Post

Coleen Nolan has revealed that she censors herself on Loose Women because of online trolls.

The 54-year-old made the admission during an interview with North Wales Live as she prepares to launch her acting career this autumn, when she embarks on a UK tour of The Thunder Girls.

The play, based on Melanie Blake's bestselling novel, follows a fictional 80s girl group who haven't spoken in 30 years - but are reuniting at a dinner party where revenge is the main course.

Coleen makes her acting debut in the explosive show alongside favourite Beverley Callard (Coronation Street), Carol Harrison (Eastenders) and Gary Webster (Minder).

The national tour comes after Thunder Girls broke the Lowry's box office records at previews in September 2019 as the fastest selling new play.

The three-month tour will see the play, which features original music and songs, visit theatres across the UK including in Liverpool and Cardiff - as well as at the Rhyl Pavilion from 24 to 28 November.

All tickets are priced at 29.50 regardless of the location to ensure that the play is kept affordable, with 80 per cent of the play's audience in Salford having never set foot in a theatre before.

We caught up with Coleen to find out what to expect from Thunder Girls - and even found out whether she'd be up for having a go on ITV's The Masked Singer.

So you're about to tour in the Thunder Girls - what's it about?

It's about an 80s girl band that fell out with each other very toxically. And then they have an opportunity to earn a lot of money by reforming to do this big revival concert.

So one of them throws a dinner party to see if they can all air their differences - and basically it all kicks off. It's very funny, but also has some sad moments.

It's really good fun and I guess giving people an insight into what potentially does happen before these revivals get off the ground.

Does it reflect the reality of showbiz egos and reunions?

Definitely. I mean I think it's in an exaggerated form because you've got to make it entertaining.

These dinner parties do have to happen if you're trying to get a band back together.

It was very different for me and my sisters because obviously we never lost touch. But even then we hadn't worked together for 25 years and we'd become very independent, professionally, so even that was difficult.

It's your first professional acting job - are you finding it challenging?

Yeah because it's a whole new thing for me. I did it for a week before in Salford but I've not actually acted before, and I've certainly not toured before - other than with my sisters. It's very exciting.

You've been offered acting roles before though. Why take up an offer now?

I think it's just the right time now. My kids are all grown up and independent, and I'm now single.

There's no reason why I can't do it now. Whereas before there were obstacles to why when I was offered stuff I would say no. I didn't want to leave the kids when they were young, I think it's a massive strain.

Now it's just about me ... so selfishly I can do what I want [laughs] It's marvellous.

Does that mean you'll do more acting in the future?

I'm a real homebody, I get homesick. I go to London two a week to do Loose Women and I'm homesick by the end of the second day.

So I think that will still be an obstacle and I'll have to see how I deal with it to know if I want it again.

The tour is bringing you all the way to Rhyl. Have you performed in North Wales before?

Oh yes, especially when we sang as a family. We were all around the North and North Wales. But it was a lot of the clubs we did then, not the theatres really. I love North Wales it's beautiful.

Speaking of the Nolans: 'I'm in the Mood for Dancing' recently turned 40. Do you think the industry has changed much since then?

Oh my god, it's just unbelievable. It feels like 10 years ago at the most.

Oh yeah, well certainly the recordindustry has massively changed now. Cause of course there was no social media in our day, y'know, we did it on tape.

Has it been easier coping with the impact of fame because you grew up in the spotlight?

I think for me it's just something I've always done since the age of two. I can't imagine doing anything else.

It's not like growing up as a kid and going 'one day I want to become a singer,' it was just what we did.

So it's just always felt like I job that I've been very lucky to have. I'm always grateful for everything I get, and shocked when I get it.

There's discussion at the moment about the pressure on celebrities, in light of Caroline Flack's death. What do you make of it all?

My whole thing is ... I've been trolled, everyone gets trolled at some point they're just out there the saddos, but my attitude towards it was I just came off everything.

I'm on Instagram but I've changed all the settings so people can't comment - that type of thing. Because I just thought I don't want that kind of negativity inmy life. I accept that not everybody is going to like you, but that's fine, but don't comment.

It's very difficult now because it's so out there, and for some reason, people do become obsessed with reading it all. and it does affect you. You'd have to be made of steel for it not to affect you.

It was affecting me, that's why I came off it. I was going to bed and not sleeping because of some awful commentI'd read. I think there needs to be rules put in place, but I think it's so hard to police.

Are there any topics on Loose Women that you avoid nowadays then?

Loads. I've been on doing Loose Women for like 19 years and the difference to what we can talk about now to what we could talk about 19 years ago is immense.

And now a lot of it is no we aren't going to talk about that because it'll just be picked up by social media or we'll get trolled, and you kind of then have to edit yourself.

You seem very opinionated though so I imagine that's quite difficult.

It's really hard because we're an opinion based show but sadly if your opinion nowadays differs from anyone the whole world comes down on ya.

Well actually, I say that, it's actually the minority, it's just that they shout louder than the majority.

And just legally now, the amount of legals we have on Loose Women that we're not allowed to say this or talk about that, that didn't happen 19 years ago. But we're good at coping and managing around that, and getting the point across.

People seem to be pointing the finger over Caroline Flack's death. You've been trolled in the past but also been accused of bullying yourself. Should we be self-reflecting perhaps at the moment?

I think we all need to look at ourselves when it comes to anything like that because I think we're all responsible for making very quick judgementsand opinions.

We need to take a step back and not make opinions until we know all the facts. But nowadays it seems you don't need to know all the facts, you just need to hear a rumour and then everybody jumps on it.

You took some time off after a TV reunion with Kim Woodburn led to criticism. Why was that?

At that point it was just a case of stepping back and putting things back in perspective.

It was just completely out of control. People that hadn't even seen the show. It did really affect me.

But I took three months off [in 2018], came home, surrounded myself by the people who love me, and the way I did that was by coming off social media.

Do you think the social media response was worse than the issue itself then?

Well there wasn't an issue for me, you know she did have an issue. Yeah, it was just a very confusing time.

I still to this day, and I've re-watched it, I don't know where that all came from. So it was very hard for me to fight so I had to just walk away.

I kept looking at it going 'I don't know what I did wrong,' and to this day I don't know what I did wrong.

It's people jumping on the bandwagon that's the problem. We all say things or we gossip, but I wouldn't dream in a million years to tweet or Instagram that person and insult them.

Social media has also been obsessed with The Masked Singer. Would you do it?

[laughs] I can't even imagine what costume they'd make me. I don't know, I'd have nerves.

If the call came through though would you not consider it?

Yeah probably, it'd be a laugh wouldn't it? And you can hide behind the mask so that's really good.

Everyone I've spoken to that's done it said it was so hard. Like so hot inside the costume and then trying to sing because it was hard to get your breath.

They were all so good though. I thought Nicola Roberts was fantastic and so deserved to win it.

It's funny because when I first started watching it, the first couple of weeks I thought this is ridiculous and then I became absolutely hooked on it.

I think it picked it momentum, as it went along and just so different from the normal singing competition shows. Whoever thought of it is genius.

And just to finish off, why should people come and see the Thunder Girls in Rhyl?

It's a really good night out. I love what the producers have done by making the tickets all the same price which gives everyone an opportunity to go to the theatre. Get your girlfriends and come for a laugh.

Tickets for the Thunder Girls tour are on sale now. They're available through the Rhyl Pavilion website and box office - as well as on the Thunder Girls website.

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Coleen Nolan on Loose Women censorship, online trolls and that Kim Woodburn row - Daily Post