“I Couldn’t Save Him”: Coleen Nolan Finally Breaks Her Silence on the Years She Spent Watching Her Son Battle Addiction
For years, Coleen Nolan cried in private.
Not in headlines.
Not on television panels.
Not in the public eye where she has spent most of her adult life.
She cried behind closed doors — as a mother watching her son disappear into addiction, powerless to pull him back.
Now, for the first time, the Loose Women star has spoken openly about the darkest chapter of her life — and the impossible choices she was urged to make when her son Shane Nolan Jr hit rock bottom.
💔 “People Told Me to Kick Him Out”
Appearing on Good Morning Britain, the 60-year-old TV personality was visibly emotional as she addressed her son’s addiction publicly for the first time.
What shocked viewers most wasn’t the addiction itself — but the advice she received when things became unmanageable.
“People were saying to me, ‘You’re going to have to kick him out,’” Coleen admitted.
Her voice caught.
“He’s my child.”
It was advice rooted in so-called tough love — something many families of addicts are told when desperation sets in. But for Coleen, the idea felt unbearable.
🧠 The Silent Guilt of a Parent
Coleen didn’t pretend she handled everything perfectly.
In fact, she admitted she did what many parents do — she made excuses.
“No, no… he’s just tired.”
“He’s been working too hard.”
“He’s just going through something.”
Looking back, she understands why.
“As a parent, you want to wrap them up,” she said.
“You think if you love them hard enough, it’ll fix it.”
Instead, she found herself trapped in helplessness.
“It was years of me crying,” she confessed.
“I couldn’t do anything. I’m his mum — and I couldn’t do anything.”
🚨 The Moment Everything Changed
The turning point came not quietly — but violently.
One morning, Shane collapsed and split his head open, requiring stitches.
For Coleen, it shattered denial.
“That was my breaking point,” she said.
“If this doesn’t wake him up… he’s going to die.”
It was the moment fear overtook hope.
And still — she couldn’t fix it for him.
🧩 “I Thought It Was My Fault”
Like many parents of addicts, Coleen turned the blame inward.
“I felt like a terrible mother,” she admitted.
“I thought it was my fault. I thought I’d done something wrong.”
Only later did she begin to understand a truth that felt both devastating and freeing:
“The only person who could help him… was himself.”
And eventually — he did.
🗣 Why Shane Chose to Speak Out
Shane Jr, now 36, went public with his addiction earlier this year — a decision Coleen says was entirely his own.
“I would never have forced him,” she said.
“It was his choice.”
He spoke during Men’s Mental Health Month, explaining how life on the road, late nights, emotional strain and personal upheaval slowly pushed him toward drugs as a coping mechanism.
“It starts as a way to get through,” he admitted.
“Until it becomes something else.”
After rehab, Shane told his mother something that still moves her.
“Mum,” he said,
“it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.”
🌱 Life After Rock Bottom
Today, Shane is sober.
A father.
And rebuilding a life he nearly lost.
He recently welcomed a newborn son, Cruz-Carter, with his partner Kimberley Sallis — a moment Coleen describes as “everything.”
But recovery hasn’t erased the past.
“It stays with you,” she said quietly.
“For all of us.”
👩👦 A Mother’s Truth — Without Pretending
Coleen didn’t offer neat solutions.
She didn’t pretend love alone saves people.
She didn’t glamorise survival.
What she offered instead was honesty.
“You can’t love addiction away,” she said.
“And you can’t hate it out of someone either.”
What families can do, she believes, is stay present — without pretending they have control.
❤️ Why She’s Speaking Now
Coleen says she’s finally talking because silence helps no one.
If her story helps one parent feel less alone — or one addict feel less ashamed — then the pain has purpose.
“I spent years crying,” she said.
“But I’m proud of him.”
And perhaps just as importantly —
“I’m proud I didn’t stop loving him.”