Coleen Nolan has finally opened up on Good Morning Britain about the darkest chapter of her family life, admitting she spent “years of crying” as she watched her son Shane battle addiction — and even faced pressure to “kick him out of the family home” when things spiralled beyond her control.
The 60-year-old Loose Women star appeared on Friday’s show to promote her upcoming farm documentary, but the conversation quickly turned deeply personal as hosts Kate Garraway and Rob Rinder reflected on her decision to embark on a ‘tell-all’ UK tour early next year with her son Shane Jnr, whom she shares with ex-husband Shane Ritchie.
Rob praised Shane Jnr for speaking publicly about his drug addiction earlier this year — a moment Coleen said was entirely his choice. She explained that he wanted to open up during Men’s Mental Health Month because “it was important to talk about it”, noting that she would never have pushed him to go public.
Coleen admitted both she and Shane were nervous when he finally spoke out. She said she became emotional because “it’s really hard as a parent or relative to watch an addict” and she spent years feeling powerless, confessing: “I’m his mum and I couldn’t do anything.”
Kate acknowledged how heartbreaking it must have been, prompting Coleen to reveal the moment people around her urged her to be tough. “People were like, ‘You’re going to have to kick him out’… but he’s my child,” she said, adding that for a long time she made excuses to protect him.
That changed the morning he passed out and split his head open, needing several staples. Coleen described it as the moment she realised something had to give — a wake-up call for them both. Afterwards, Shane told her: “Mum, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.”
Coleen admitted she blamed herself for his addiction, telling Kate and Rob she “felt like a terrible mother” and believed she had “done things wrong”. She later accepted that no one could have saved him but himself — and ultimately, he did.
In a YouTube video filmed for her channel, Shane explained that the relentless touring lifestyle pushed him toward drugs. He spoke candidly about three-day benders, emotional turmoil, and feeling lost in his career. Rehab was the turning point, and today he is a father of two, having recently welcomed baby son Cruz-Carter with partner Kimberley Sallis.
Coleen also recalled how frightened she was the night he fell and needed staples in his head, admitting she kept thinking: “He’s going to die.” It was the moment that broke her.
The Nolan matriarch has faced fresh worry recently: she revealed on ITV that Cruz-Carter, just five weeks old, was rushed to A&E after developing a high temperature. With Shane also falling ill with flu, the family feared the newborn might be in danger, saying, “All of a sudden it starts to become a reality.”
Coleen shares Shane Jnr and Jake with EastEnders legend Shane Ritchie, and daughter Ciara with ex-husband Ray Fensome — but Friday’s interview showed that no matter how public her life is, her deepest battles have always been fought at home.