Linda Nolan and her singing sisters burst into the spotlight in 1979 with their career hit "I'm In The Mood For Dancing," which meant they The highs and lows are played out in public.

The close-knit band, originally composed of sisters - Linda, Anne, Denise, Maureen and Bernie (Colleen was initially too young) - has been together since 1974 entered the music industry and later became one of the biggest bands in the UK in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The Nolans had seven UK Top 20 hits, including their most famous song, which peaked at number three in 1980.

They've also built a huge following internationally - especially in Japan. They toured with Frank Sinatra.

All this is accompanied by sweet disco imagery and catchy bubblegum songs, including "Spirit," "Body and Soul," "Don't Make Waves" and "Don't Love Me Too Hard."

Music journalist Paul Morley told BBC News, "Despite its formulaic, superficial clichés, 'I'm Dancing' is an uplifting, thoughtful song. pop songs.”

“(It) was efficiently customized for parties, pop-ups and weddings, and had a longevity you wouldn’t have seen at the time.”

After some line-up changes, Linda left the band in 1983 to pursue a solo career, primarily in musical theater, with great success.

Her most memorable role was in the West End production of Blood Brothers. She then went on to make regular TV appearances, including the infamous 2014 appearance on Celebrity Big Brother where she faced off against her long-time rival, comedian Jim Davidson.

But as time went on, the personal and family lives of Linda and her siblings seemed to be overshadowed by the showbiz world with chaos, tragedy, and the breakdown of sisterhood.

Linda was born in Ireland to Tommy and Maureen Nolan, a singing duo who moved to Blackpool in 1962 in search of work. Nolan has eight offspring - six girls and two boys. All girls start singing and performing at an early age.

The Nolan Girl found herself constantly performing in nightclubs, on television and on tour. Their fees paid the household bills.

Their father, who was also the manager, would wait at the bar before taking them home in the early hours of the morning after school.

"We are taught from an early age the importance of hard work," Linda told The Daily Telegraph in 2018. "My attitude has always been that unless I'm on a stretcher, the show must go on."

However, it was discovered much later that their father was an alcoholic and womanizer who sexually abused his eldest daughter, Anne. He also frequently behaves violently. Tommy Nolan died in 1998 at the age of 78. Anne revealed her secret in her 2008 autobiography.

"It must have been difficult for Anne all these years because everyone loved our dad, absolutely loved him," Linda said in an interview with The Guardian.

"She must have been so emotional. People said it might have been cathartic for her to write the book, and I'm sure it was."

The girls were "discovered" at a gig in Blackpool in 1973 and signed a recording contract, but their big break came in 1978 when they signed a deal with Epic Sony-CBS.

So began the hits, world tours and regular appearances on TV shows such as Top of the Pops, Morecambe and Wise.

The Nolan family sold 25 million albums worldwide, but very little of the profits ended up in the pockets of the daughters because their father didn't realize he could negotiate for a higher salary.

In 1979, Linda met former musician Brian Hudson, and despite her parents' reservations about the 13-year age gap and Brian's history of two divorces, they got married in 1981 marry. Brian also became tour manager for Nolan's band.

"But when other girls decided my husband Brian was unsuitable to be their tour manager, I became very frustrated and chose to start a solo career," Linda later told The Daily Telegraph.

She left with a check for £13,000 but was later sent a tax bill for the same amount.

Linda's solo career was managed by Brian, and she made her first guest appearance on television, appearing in shows as diverse as Gene Pitney and Cannon and Ball Tour.

She also appeared in pantomimes before her musical theater career began, appearing in Cell Block H: The Musical with Paul O'Grady.

The financial blow came again in 1995 when she and Brian were declared bankrupt. They were saved when a newspaper paid Linda £17,000 to tell her story.

She attributes their money problems to the "feast or famine" nature of showbiz.

In 2000, Linda had her most successful role in Willy Russell's Blood Brothers, taking over the role of Mrs. Johnstone from her sister Bernie.

But it was also in the early 2000s that Linda's world and her family began to fall apart.

First Anne was told she had breast cancer, then Brian was diagnosed with skin cancer. A year later, Linda was told she, too, had breast cancer.

While Anne recovered, Linda lost her husband of 26 years while undergoing treatment, a shock that left her contemplating suicide.

"He was the love of my life... I lost hope of ever being happy again and started thinking, as people do when they're depressed to a certain point, it would be better for everyone if I wasn't here. Help They're doing it a favor," she revealed in early 2018.

In 2006, she was in remission from cancer but was too depressed to work and began receiving benefits.

Maureen, Linda, Bernie and Colleen were offered a financial lifeline in 2009 when they were offered a reunion tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of I'm Dancing.

The trip was going well, but on the home front, things took a decidedly sour turn. Anne claimed she had been "stabbed in the back" by her siblings.

"No one asked me. No one intervened until it was too late. Now they've made it clear they don't want me." she told the Daily Mail.

The sisters claimed that the decision was that of the record company and was beyond their control. Leading to a further breakdown in already broken family relationships.

But the next year, the sisters tried to unite in support of Bernie, who was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a mastectomy and chemotherapy and recovered. But in 2012, the cancer returned and she died at the age of 52.

The sisters' truce ended quickly.

Linda's financial problems resurfaced in 2014 when she was investigated by Blackpool Council and the Department for Work and Pensions for claiming up to £12,000 in benefits while at work.

"I thought I had followed the rules religiously, but some of the things they considered 'work' just didn't happen for me. I thought work meant doing a stage show, not a quick TV interview," she told The "Magazine. telegraph.

She proposed a repayment plan and was eventually warned.

That same year, Linda entered the Celebrity Big Brother house (supposedly because she needed money), an experience that led to her telling intense stories about her sex life and a spat with Davidson.

The two have been enemies since the 1990s, when Bryan Caught stealing money Friend and comedian Frank Carson of Davidson.

Linda also became a regular as sister Colleen became a panellist on ITV's Loose Women.

It was on that show in 2017 that Coleen tearfully told viewers that her sister's cancer had returned, this time at a terminal stage.

Linda resumed her stage work, but with the second diagnosis, she stopped. In March 2023, she confirmed that the cancer had spread to her brain.

But as she made clear in her 2018 autobiography, From My Heart, she refused to spend the rest of her time dealing with the "constant stress of cancer."

She added: "I choose to enjoy the little things. I choose to laugh. I choose to look back on my life and thank God for it."