Coleen Nolan said she ‘feared she was going to die’ as she battled to breathe as a result of an acute chest infection she believes was worsened by her 40 year smoking habit

Singer and presenter Coleen Nolan has urged smokers to follow in her footsteps after she kicked the habit after 40 years of smoking.

The 58-year-old recently opened up about how she thought she was “going to die” when she was struggling to breathe as a result of an acute chest infection.

After the health scare she gave up cigarettes and has not smoked for more than three months.

The Loose Women presenter, who rose to fame as a child singing with her sisters in The Nolans, said she was not aware of the health risks when she first started smoking. She has joined forces with leading health charities Cancer Research UK, Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) and Asthma and Lung UK and the Government to urge smokers to quit on No Smoking Day.

“I smoked for about 40 years and was heavily influenced by my friends and family around me,” she said. “At such a young age I wasn’t aware of the health risks of smoking and soon found myself becoming addicted.”

“Following a recent health scare, I realised how precious life is and became determined to quit, not just for my own health, but so I can be there fully for my children and grandchildren. To anyone out there thinking of giving up smoking, my advice is do it.”

The new campaign urges England’s 5.3 million smokers to make a quit attempt through their local stop smoking services, which can be found through the Better Health NHS tool.

Professor Sir Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, said: “Cigarettes kill. They cause at least 15 different types of cancers and increase your risk of developing more than 50 serious health conditions.”

“Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health no matter your age or how long you have smoked.”

Public health minister Dame Andrea Leadsom said: “Cigarettes are responsible for 64,000 deaths a year in England no other consumer product kills up to two-thirds of its users.”

For free support to stop smoking, people are urged to search “smokefree”.