Coleen Nolan has pocketed a reported £300,000 to star in panto for eight weeks.
The ‘Loose Women’ panellist’s career is going from strength-to-strength since she was crowned the winner of ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ All Star vs New Star special in January as she’s now bagged the estimated lump sum after she agreed to portray the Fairy Godmother in Bradford Alhambra Theatre’s production of ‘Cinderella’ later this year.
A source told The Sun newspaper: "If you are a big star then panto always pays well but this is one of the biggest fees people have heard of. Producers Qdos really believe Coleen is a big name and will get bums on seats so they consider the money well spent. It’s six weeks of performances and two of rehearsal but her co-stars are likely to be earning only £700 a week. She will be earning roughly £4,000 per show but that cost is covered if producers fill ten per cent of the 1,400-capacity theatre every time."
However, Coleen’s new job, which will see her star alongside her son Shane Nolan and comedian Billy Pearce, will clash with her presenting role on the lunchtime show ‘Loose Women’, meaning she’ll be away from screens for just under two months.
Meanwhile, Coleen hasn’t had the best time recently as not only is she battling to save her marriage with Ray Fensome, but she’s just found out her sister Linda Nolan – who had been clear of breast cancer for six years – is fighting secondary cancer.
The singer was found to have a cyst on her pelvis after she fell and broke her hip earlier this month, and though she has been told the condition is not curable this time round, doctors are able to treat her and she could still have "years" to live.
Coleen said: "It’s difficult to know where to start but about two and a half weeks ago, as you know my sister Linda had an accident at home, where she fell up the stairs and she broke her hip. She went to hospital and when they did the scan of her hip they found secondary cancer. They found a cyst attached to where the break was, on her pelvis, so it was just, earth-shattering for us initially.
"She’s incredible and what they have said is – and the reason I didn’t come back, was she didn’t want anybody to know at the time."
Coleen Nolan bags ‘£300k deal’ for panto stint
