Brian Nolan issues plea to other men as he gives cancer update on Loose Women
Lancashire based Brian Nolan has issued a plea to other men as he shared some huge health news.
70-year-old Brian, who lives in Blackpool, revealed in March that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
His devastating health news came just three months after the death of his sister Linda, who died from pneumonia after battling with breast cancer for over two decades.
This week however, Brian appeared on the ITV daytime show Loose Women -whilst another of his sisters, Blackpool born Coleen, was on the panel - to share a cancer update.
During his time on the daytime programme, Brian shared the amazing news that he had just received the all-clear.
Sitting next to his sister Coleen, 60, he explained: “There have been developments. I’ll start at the beginning. So I had the operation, it’s called a RALP, which means it’s a robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy.
“To make a long story short, my cancer was in the prostate gland, so they offered me a radical operation, which drew the whole cancer out.”
“I was basically in the hospital for 18 hours and I got the all clear last Tuesday that the cancer is completely gone and my bloods are back to normal.”
Brian’s appearance on the show was not just to share some good news though, as he had an urgent message for others - go and get tested.
Brian said: “At the moment we have no screening procedure for prostate cancer in this country and I just can’t believe it because 13,000 men a year are dying from prostate cancer for no reason, because they just haven’t been taught about it and there’s no screening - regular screening.
“Just like I guess you ladies have your smear tests, you have a notification; bowel cancer comes through the post; nothing for prostate cancer and I’m informed witht he meetings I’ve had that thre’s no plans to have it as of yet. But thre’s one good thing I heard today, there is some tremendous research going on, but that takes time and cancer -nobody waits around for cancer.”
When asked by panellist Gloria Hunniford if you can ask a GP to have a blood test, Brain continued: “What we’re finding now and what I’ve found with some of the people that I’ve talked to about getting tested - and luckily I’ve got a lot of them to go and get tested- is that they’re finding resistance at GP surgeries to even [giving] an appointment to the men that are asking for it.
“Now I believe you have a right to go and see your GP whenever you can but they’re havhing - in actual fact we’re having meetings with GPs later on in the year... There is a protocol for treating this, for getting tested and getting it treated but it’s being a little overlooked. We’re moving down that road but I would say to all guys, please please please go and get tested because it will save your lives.
A clip of Brian’s speech was shared to the Loose Women Instagram page with a caption that read: “Coleen’s brother Brian Nolan opens up about his mission to make prostate cancer screening a priority for all men over 50 and why he’s urging men everywhere to get tested.”
The comments to the post -which has garnered over a 1000 likes -were then filled with members of the public sharing their own personal stories and words of thanks for Brian raising awareness.
As part of his treatment, Brian had previously revealed that he was referred to a genetic department in Manchester, stating it was “amazing how many people had actually had cancer as some part of the reason they died” in his family.
Linda was first diagnosed in 2005, given the all-clear in 2011, but in 2017 was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer. In 2020 it spread and by 2023 was in her brain.
Anne, who Linda joined on the TV series The Nolans Go Cruising, was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time in 2020 and previously said she is now cancer-free.
Loose Women star Coleen was also diagnosed with skin cancer last year and said she was using a chemotherapy cream to remove it.
Their sister Bernie then sadly died of breast cancer in 2013 aged 52.