Bernie Nolan tragically loses her three-year battle with cancer as she passes away at the age of 52

By Louise Saunders

PUBLISHED: 07:39 EST, 4 July 2013 | UPDATED: 08:22 EST, 4 July 2013

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Bernie Nolan has passed away at the age of 52.

The singer and actress lost her three-year battle with cancer on Thursday morning after first being diagnosed with the disease back in 2010.

A spokesperson for the family confirmed to MailOnline: 'Bernie passed away peacefully this morning with all of her family around her.

Keeping it in the family: Bernie shot to fame alongside her sisters in family singing group, The Nolans

Tragic: Bernie Nolan (second right) passed away on Thursday morning after losing her three-year battle with cancer

'The entire family are devastated to have lost beloved Bernie, a wonderful wife, adoring mother and loving sister, she is irreplaceable. They kindly ask people to respect their privacy at this difficult time.'

The late star leaves behind husband Steve Doneathy and daughter Erin, 14.

Actor Joseph McGann, who appeared with the Irish actress in a stage production of Calendar Girls, last year led the Twitter tributes, writing: 'RIP Bernie Nolan - Fabulous voice, funny, generous pocket -amazon I was lucky to have known. Thoughts are with Erin and Steve.'

'Devastated': Bernie leaves behind a 14-year-old daughter, Erin

Fighting: The singer and actress was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, but the disease later spread to her liver, bones, lungs and brain

Bernie beat breast cancer in 2010, but the disease returned in October 2012 and later spread to her liver, bones, lungs and brain.

The star had been being cared for in a hospice, but returned home to be with her family for her last days.

In an extract from her book Now and Forever, exclusively serialised by The Mirror, the singer paid tribute to her husband and daughter and opened up about fighting for her life over the last few months.

Explaining telling her daughter about her condition was the hardest thing she had to endure, the star vowed to never stop fighting because she desperately wanted to see Erin 'grow into the beautiful women' she knew she would be.

She said: 'Steve and I talked it over and we decided to tell her the cancer had come back in my breast and that I'd be taking pills to treat it. She asked me if I was going to die. She'd asked me that a lot lately.'

In an attempt to make the most of the final stage of her life, Bernie revealed that she made a Bucket List of things she wanted to do with her husband and daughter, including visiting Venice and New York.

However the cancer became so far advanced she was left unable to travel, and was tragically be unable to complete the list.

Bernie decided to write the book because she didn't want to just be remembered as a cancer patient.

'Cancer has become a part of my journey but it's not the whole story,' she shared. 'There's so much more to me than that. I'm a wife, mother, daughter, singer, actress, sister, friend and auntie. Those are the roles I want to define me.'

'I tried to approach every day as a new beginning and think, 'Right,what's next?' I couldn't sit around thinking, 'I'm going to die'. I haven't done too badly, have I?

'I've had a wonderful child, a great husband, a lovely home, a fantastic family, beautiful friends and a career that's lasted half a century. And I've had lots of fun and laughter along the way.'

Bernie revealed cancer had returned in October 2012, and in spite of doctors telling her the disease was incurable, she was defiant until the end.

Tragic: Bernie Nolan has passed away at the age of 52 after losing her battle with cancer

Fighting until the end: Bernie documented her thoughts and feelings surrounding her condition in a touching memoir, Now and Forever

She said at the time: 'OK, it's not curable. But the doctors have promised me the cancer is treatable, it's containable. I'm on medication which is controlling it, and people have lived for 12 years on these drugs. Who knows what new treatments are around the corner?

'I refuse to sit around like I've got a death sentence hanging over my head. I'm going to fight this for ever. It can get stuffed.'

Bernie shot to fame in family singing group The Nolans alongside her sisters Anne, Linda, Maureen and Coleen.

Keeping it in the family: Bernie shot to fame alongside her sisters as the lead vocalist in family singing group, The Nolans

Best known for their 1979 hit I'm In The Mood For Dancing, the group sold millions of records around the world.

Bernie quit the band in 1994 to focus on her solo career, before turning her hand to acting with roles in ITV1 police drama The Bill and Channel 4 Brookside, and appearing on stage in Blood Brothers, Calendar Girls and Chicago The Musical.

The Nolans later reunited in 2009 for a sell-out 30th anniversary UK tour, which led to a dispute with two of the sisters, Denise and Anne after they were excluded from the performances.

Happy family: Bernie married drummer Steve Doneathy in 1996, and welcomed daughter Erin into the world in 1999

But after learning Bernie's condition was incurable, the siblings ended their long-running family feud and rallied round their cancer-stricken sister.

The star married drummer Steve Doneathy in 1996, but the couple suffered tragedy when their first daughter, Kate, was stillborn in 1997. They later welcomed Erin into the world in 1999.

When Bernie was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, she became the third Nolan sister to suffer from the disease, with the siblings' father, Tommy, having passed away from liver cancer in 1998.

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Source : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2355873/Bernie-Nolan-tragically-loses-year-battle-cancer-passes-away-age-52.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

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Thursday, July 4, 2013