Coleen Nolan, 61, has shared that her boyfriend, 41-year-old fashion lecturer Ryan Brockbank, initiated their relationship by sending her a direct message on Instagram. Nolan, a presenter on the television show Loose Women, confirmed her relationship with Brockbank last month after a few months together. The couple met following Nolan's appearance on the reality show Celebs Go Dating.
Nolan revealed the details of their first interaction, sharing a screenshot of Brockbank's initial message, which read: "Hey. Hope you are having a great weekend. Drink?". Nolan responded with a red love heart emoji, and Brockbank followed up by asking if she was watching Eurovision, which led to a flirty exchange between the two.
Following the exchange, Brockbank posted the screenshot with the caption "How it started…" and a subsequent selfie of himself and Nolan, captioned "How it's going." Nolan has expressed openness to marriage for a third time, stating that she hadn't met anyone like Brockbank in what she described as 50 years.
This sentiment was shared on her podcast, Nolans Uncensored, where she admitted her readiness for marriage surprised her 25-year-old daughter, Ciara. Nolan was previously married to actor Shane Richie from 1990 to 1999, and later to Ray Fensome from 2007 to 2018. She shares two sons with Richie and a daughter with Fensome.
Recently, Nolan also revealed matching tattoos with Brockbank, a detail that her daughter Ciara found amusingly alarming. Ciara described the tattoos, which include an "R" and a heart on Nolan's forearm along with the phrase "Until the end," as evidence that her mother had "lost the plot."
Nolan's past attempts at finding a partner on Celebs Go Dating were described as a "disaster." She reflected on the experience, noting that her ego was affected by rejections and the geographical challenges of dating individuals from outside her local area. Despite the setbacks, Nolan stated that the show's agents and therapy had been beneficial, leading to significant personal change.