Coleen Nolan has hit out at trolls who criticised her on the day of her sister, Linda Nolan’s funeral, telling Loose Women viewers: ‘We have to stop judging people’

Coleen Nolan has heartbreakingly revealed she was “slated on social media” following the funeral of her beloved sister, Linda.

Linda tragically died in January, aged 65, after losing her ongoing battle with cancer. The valiant Nolan Sister star was laid to rest in Blackpool, Lancashire, on February 1 at a funeral, which was attended by the singer’s famous family and friends.

Also paying their respects to Linda outside the church were some 2,000 fans, who Coleen, 59, smiled at as she got out of the funeral car. However, sadly, she was slammed on social media for her expression, with many suggesting it was inappropriate for the sombre occasion.

Coleen Nolan was criticised for smiling as she greeted Linda’s fans outside the church(Image: Getty Images)

The star urged people to ‘stop judging’ in an impassioned statement on Loose Women(Image: Getty Images)

Opening up about the abuse she received online, Coleen told the Loose Women audience ‘we have to stop judging people’. In a passionate statement, she said: “We’ve got to stop judging how people deal with grief. And I’ve got to stop caring how people are judging me. [At Linda’s funeral] I got out of the car smiling because there were about 2,000 people there, looking and smiling. And then I got slated on social media. [People were asking] ‘What’s she smiling about?’

“[I was thinking] I don’t know what people want me to do. And it bothered me at first, but then I thought I’ve got to stop caring what people think.

“We all deal with grief differently. I didn’t want to get out the car and not acknowledge [the crowd]. I saw all those people and it made me cry because Linda would have loved it. And I’m so glad they turned out for her.”

Coleen concluded with a defiant message to any trolls who might have been watching Loose Women on Monday, clarifying: “I got out [of the car and smiled] to show my gratitude.”

Following her appearance on Loose Women today, Coleen was praised by viewers, with one taking to X, saying: “Spot on, grief is personal and individual. There is no right or wrong way. I’ve known people who have literally died of a broken heart.” Meanwhile, another advised: “Coleen – you do what you want to do.”

The presenter opened up about how proud she was of Linda, who she said always had a smile on her face, no matter how much pain she was in last year. Speaking to the Mirror in September, Coleen said: “Certainly in public [there’s a smile on her face], obviously there’s nights she goes to bed and I only found this out recently but there are nights she goes I think the night times because she’s totally on her own.

“You know, in your bedroom and your brain, you just overthink and I think they’re the times when she has her cry and and she’s scared but the rest of the time she is an absolute warrior. I look at her in awe. She treats chemo like she’s going to Tesco and it keeps coming back and battering her and she keeps on smiling and she still keeps getting out of bed and she bloody hates it.”

* The Macmillan Support Line offers confidential support to people living with cancer and their loved ones. If you need to talk, call us on 0808 808 0000.