Linda Nolan’s brother Brian has revealed he has been diagnosed with cancer just weeks after the TV star’s death.

Linda tragically pᴀssed away on January 15 2025 aged 65 following a 20-year breast cancer battle and suffering from double pneumonia.

Just three days after her death, grieving Brian, 69, was devastatingly diagnosed with stage two prostate cancer – the fifth of the Nolan siblings to battle the disease.

As well as Linda, the Nolan siblings also lost Bernie to breast cancer in 2013 while Anne, 74, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000 and Coleen, 60, was told she had skin cancer in 2023.

‘I just want cancer to leave us alone,’ Brian, the fifth of the eight Nolan siblings, heartbreakingly told The Mirror.

Brian described his diagnosis as ‘like being hit by a train’ and said he thought the worst when he was first diagnosed. 

Linda Nolan ‘s brother Brian has revealed he has been diagnosed with cancer just weeks after the TV star’s death (pictured at Linda’s funeral)

Linda (pictured in April 2022) tragically pᴀssed away on January 15 2025 aged 65 following a 20-year breast cancer battle and suffering from double pneumonia

‘You start plunging into the abyss of: ”I’m going to die”,’ he admitted.

‘The urologist stood up and said ”We’re going to treat this and we’re going to cure this”, I’m focusing on that and hope to God I can have the courage my sisters had.’ 

The cancer has thankfully not spread and Brian will undergo surgery to remove his prostate gland.

Brian decided to keep his cancer fears quiet from his siblings as they were already devastated by Linda’s deteriorating condition before her death in January.

‘I thought I was doing the right thing and I still do, it would have meant more tears and we were already knee-deep in tears and knee-deep in grief,’ he added. 

Amid his own struggles, he spent 28 hours sitting by Linda’s bedside in her final days.

His sister, Loose Women panelist Coleen, admitted she was lost for words after Brian told her of his shock diagnosis and went ‘completely numb’ and wanted to ‘scream’.

However, she also shared her pride at her brother’s strength and said they will face the challenge as a family.

‘I just want cancer to leave us alone,’ Brian, the fifth of the eight Nolan siblings, said (pictured on Loose Women in March)

Linda was first diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer in 2005 before getting the all-clear in 2006 – but in 2017 she was diagnosed with a form of incurable secondary cancer in her hip, which spread to her liver in 2020

Brian (right) described his diagnosis as ‘like being hit by a train’ and said he thought the worst when he was first diagnosed

Brian first went to the doctors in November after noticing he needed the toilet more, leading to doctors giving him PSA tests – which use blood to screen for prostate cancer.

He then had an MRI scan just after Christmas and a biopsy in the New Year before he was diagnosed with prostate cancer following Linda’s death.

Brian is being supported by his wife Ann and has decided to speak out about his diagnosis to raise more awareness about prostate cancer and its symptoms.  

Linda was first diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in 2005 before getting the all-clear in 2006 – but in 2017 she was diagnosed with a form of incurable secondary cancer in her hip, which spread to her liver in 2020.

Three years later, she shared the news that the cancer had spread to her brain, with two tumours discovered on the left side of her brain which left her struggling with her speech and balance.

And she issued an update last August that the tumours – which were thought to be stable – had grown.

The Irish star was part of family group the Nolans, alongside her sisters Coleen, Maureen, Denise, Anne and Bernie – who died of breast cancer in 2013 aged 52.

Brian’s sisters have a history of cancer, with Linda, Coleen and Anne all receiving diagnoses as well as Bernie pᴀssing away from the disease.

Linda had admitted last November she ‘never expected to make it to Christmas’, meaning that the festive period meant all the more to her.

The Nolan Sisters left to right: Maureen, Linda, Coleen and Bernie pose with their two brothers Tommy and Brian 

The Nolan sisters rose to fame in the 70s and 80s (pictured together on Dawson and Friends)

Nolan Sisters Coleen, Maureen, Bernie and Linda performing in November 1981

She said at the time: ‘I can’t wait. Not to be morbid, but I didn’t think I’d make Christmas, so it’s a real bonus.

‘We love Christmas as a family and we’re all going to gather at Denise’s. It will be great. We all have such a good time when we get together so I can’t wait. I especially love seeing all the little ones and how excited they get.’

Read MoreBREAKING NEWS Linda Nolan is laid to rest in pink glittery coffin – as sister Coleen fights back tears at funeral

And just before the festive season she admitted to OK! magazine she was afraid of death, saying: ‘What scares me the most? Dying. I am sad that it is going to happen.

‘When people start talking about ‘putting things in order’ – I don’t want to talk about that. I don’t want to think about my affairs. It’s so final.

‘Every birthday and every Christmas, I want to make it to the next one. This year, for instance, I will certainly raise a glᴀss and say, ‘Here’s to 2025’.

‘I have to be like that, I can’t be a grey cloud of doom.’

Linda had appeared on ITV’s GMB last August, revealing how she was being set on a new course of chemotherapy – and sharing the news that she could face losing her hair once again.

She also described the physical toll the ongoing treatment was taking on her smile, pointing to a gap in her teeth and exclaiming: ‘Look, I’ve lost a tooth!’

Linda said of cancer’s prevalence in her family: ‘I’m just like everybody else really, I just want it to go – or leave us alone for a little while at least.’

WHAT IS PROSTATE CANCER?

How many people does it kill? 

More than 11,800 men a year – or one every 45 minutes – are killed by the disease in Britain, compared with about 11,400 women dying of breast cancer.

It means prostate cancer is behind only lung and bowel in terms of how many people it kills in Britain. 

In the US, the disease kills 26,000 men each year.

Despite this, it receives less than half the research funding of breast cancer and treatments for the disease are trailing at least a decade behind.

How many men are diagnosed annually?

Every year, upwards of 52,300 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK – more than 140 every day.   

How quickly does it develop? 

Prostate cancer usually develops slowly, so there may be no signs someone has it for many years, according to the NHS. 

If the cancer is at an early stage and not causing symptoms, a policy of ‘watchful waiting’ or ‘active surveillance’ may be adopted. 

Some patients can be cured if the disease is treated in the early stages.

But if it is diagnosed at a later stage, when it has spread, then it becomes terminal and treatment revolves around relieving symptoms.

Thousands of men are put off seeking a diagnosis because of the known side effects from treatment, including erectile dysfunction.

Tests and treatment

Tests for prostate cancer are haphazard, with accurate tools only just beginning to emerge. 

There is no national prostate screening programme as for years the tests have been too inaccurate.

Doctors struggle to distinguish between aggressive and less serious tumours, making it hard to decide on treatment.

Men over 50 are eligible for a ‘PSA’ blood test which gives doctors a rough idea of whether a patient is at risk.

But it is unreliable. Patients who get a positive result are usually given a biopsy which is also not fool-proof. 

Scientists are unsure as to what causes prostate cancer, but age, obesity and a lack of exercise are known risks. 

Anyone with any concerns can speak to Prostate Cancer UK’s specialist nurses on 0800 074 8383 or visit prostatecanceruk.org