Loose Women star Coleen Nolan has opened up about her struggles with a painful a rite of passage that most parents go through – but very few really talk about

Loose Women star Coleen Nolan has opened up about a huge life change that left her “bereft”.

Alongside the births, deaths and marriages that we all face, there are other big life changes that aren’t so often talked about.

And in a new interview, Coleen revealed how she copes with that phenomenon that every parent dreads – the empty nest.

The 59-year-old told podcaster GK Barry how she had felt “bereft” when the last of her three children grew up and moved away from home. She also revealed that she has compensated for her empty nest by filling her home with animals.

“I’ve got four dogs, six cats, some ducks, some chickens and some goats,” she confessed. She explained that she had two goats, before adding another three of which two are “tiny babies.”

Coleen lives with a veritable menagerie of pets ( 
Image:
LORNA ROACH PHOTOGRAPHY)

Coleen admitted that her menagerie has grown since her kids left home: “I think I’ve ended up getting more and more animals because my kids have all moved away.

“I never thought that Empty Nest Syndrome was a thing, because when they were little, I was counting the days …I thought ‘They’re five, now not long!’

“I was thinking that it would be great – you get your own life back – but honest to God it’s the worst feeling I’ve ever had – bereft.”

Coleen, seen here with ex-husband Ray Fensome, has ”always loved animals.’ ( 
Image:
Getty Images)

Coleen explains that while some of her kids have not gone far from home, there have definitely been some lonely moments over the past few years. She continued: “Shane’s only just moved out, he’s 35, and Kira lives in an annexe within the house and Jake lives in London.

“But at one point they were all away. Kira went traveling this year for about six months, and then Shane wasn’t there and Jake lives in London …and remember you’re at that age when you’re going through the menopause – it’s literally like like nature and life are saying ‘You’re done now, you can die. There’s no need for you any more’.”

Coleen first came to fame at the age of 15, as part of a band she formed with her sisters ( 
Image:
Publicity Picture)

Coleen shares two children with her first husband Shane Richie – Shane Nolan, 35, and Jake Roche, 31. Her daughter, 23-year-old Ciara Fensome, is shared with her second husband Ray Fensome.

Coleen adds that one of her children pointed out to her that she’s filled her home with “surrogate children” in the shape of her vast collection of animals.

She stresses that animals have always been a big part of her life: “I’m just animal crazy, I always was. All I wanted to do I was to be a vet when I was growing up and then I realised that actually animals don’t like vets and I thought ‘No, I want them to love me’.”

But, she admits, there is a secret truth to the suggestion that she has filled her life with pets as her children have gone on to make lives of their own.