Coleen Nolan, the beloved Loose Women star, recently shared a candid update on her love life after joining the Channel 4 series Celebs Go Dating. At 61-year-old, she opened up about her bittersweet journey on the programme, reflecting on the experience with an honest verdict on her co-stars while hoping to discover love once more following two failed marriages, the end of her most recent known public relationship in 2023.
I’ve followed her story for years, and it’s heartening to see someone so real about these ups and downs—reminds me of chats with friends navigating the same after breakups.
Quick Facts
- Coleen Nolan on Celebs Go Dating at 61 after 2023 breakup
- Agents Paul C Brunson, Anna Williamson, Dr Tara helped but left single
- Praised cast, jokingly called Rob Beckett vicious narrator
- Fun podcast chat with son Shane, daughter Ciara
- Hardest shoot with 14-15hr days but best TV job ever
- Dating disaster, friend-zoned great dates
- Essex guys too far from Staffordshire home
- Brilliant therapy from experts, massively changed
- Past marriages: Shane Richie (1990-99), Ray Fensome (2007-18, 11yrs)
- Dating apps lovely but stays friends, not desperate for love
Agents’ Efforts and Show Highlights
Agents like Paul C Brunson, Anna Williamson, and Dr Tara Suwinyattichaiporn did their best to help the Loose Women star find a match, but she admitted she ultimately left the show single. Even so, she showered praise on the agents and her fellow contestants, while playfully dubbing narrator Rob Beckett “vicious”.
She shared this on her son Shane and daughter Ciara’s Nolans Uncensored podcast, where speaking about the experience, she said she’d never had so much fun doing a TV show as “Celebs Go Dating”. Having watched a few dating shows myself, it’s refreshing how she keeps it real amid the drama—just like those late-night talks with mates over a cuppa about celebrity escapades.
Behind-the-Scenes Challenges and Laughs
Coleen called the series one of the hardest she’s participated in, thanks to those demanding 14 15-hour filming schedules, yet she had the best time with her fellow cast members—it’s been one of the best jobs, where they laughed with everyone amazing and no d**k or k**b in sight, steering clear of any fake showbiz**.
Also Read: Ian McKellen reveals advice he got from Alec Guinness LGBTQ
Unfortunately, the dating side turned into an absolute disaster, as her son joked about Rob Beckett’s vicious narration taking the ps out of her when nothing happened, like that one time she thought it was a great date but he got rid of her, knowing it was just a friendship thing. I’ve been around long enough to know how grueling those long shoots can be from friends in telly, but Coleen’s take rings true—pure fun trumps romance fails every time.
Distance Dilemmas and Personal Growth
Praising the show’s experts and agents, Coleen shared how their therapy proved absolutely brilliant, helping her massively changed from start to end. Still, she had one big issue: every date landed her with guys from Essex, way too far when she lives in bl*y Staffordshire**, killing any chance of that romantic sparkromantic spark. I’ve been there with long-distance fizzles myself—distance is a dealbreaker, no matter how solid the support.
Past Romances and Dating Woes
Coleen, while promoting the show, opened up about her love life being non-existent since splitting from her last known partner Michael Jones in 2023, reflecting on how she’s tied the knot twice—first to Shane Richie from 1990 to 1999, and later married to Ray Fensome for 11 years between 2007 and 2018 after that recent breakup.
She’s tried a few dates via dating apps that were lovely, but her issue is she stayed friends with everyone, definitely not looking for another friend though it’s not bad, and she’s not desperate to meet someone even if she’d like to meet someone absolutely lovely.
From years of watching celebs like her navigate post-divorce dating, it’s that friend-zone trap that gets ‘em every time—been there with mates who swear off apps for the same reason.
