Maureen Nolan, 69, forced to continue working after she and her singing sisters were ‘ripped off’ and lost MILLIONS: ‘We were young and naive’
- READ MORE: Where are The Nolans now?
Maureen Nolan has revealed how she has been forced to continue working as she approaches her 70th birthday, despite being part of one of the world’s biggest-selling girl groups.
The singer, 69, who topped the charts in the 1970s with her sisters in The Nolans, said how the siblings had been ‘ripped off’ by music executives and lost out on millions of pounds.
Telling The Mirror: ‘I need to keep working. We thought we’d be comfortably set up by this point in our lives, but I don’t have a pension, I don’t have any savings and I rent a house’.
She explained how her 2016 divorce from ex-husband Ritchie Hoyle also contributed to her financial struggles after they sold family and she was unable to get a mortgage to buy her own property.
Between 1979 and 1982 The Nolans had seven international hits, including Attention To Me, Gotta Pull Myself Together and Don’t Make Waves and the now iconic I’m In The Mood For Dancing.
Candid: Maureen Nolan, 69, has revealed how she has been forced to continue working as she approaches her 70th birthday, being part of the world’s biggest-selling girl groups
Success: The singer who topped the charts in the 1970s with her sisters in The Nolans, said how the siblings had been ‘ripped off’ by music executives and lost out on millions of pounds (pictured in 1975)
They sold over 30 million records – making them one of the biggest girl groups of all time. Going on to become the first Irish act to sell over 1 million records worldwide
Maureen told the publication: ‘We made millions, well, somebody made millions, but not us. I think we were ripped off a bit along the way.’
‘We were probably a bit young and naive. We were very happy and we trusted people to handle our affairs. Looking back, that might be where it went awry. I sometimes think, ‘What happened to that?”.
The sisters formed the group, consisting of Maureen, Anne, Linda, Coleen and Bernie, in 1974 calling themsleves the Nolan Sisters before stream lining to simply The Nolans in 1980.
The group was huge in Japan and they were the first European act to win Tokyo’s Musical Festival in 1981. Selling over 11 million records in the country outselling Beyoncé, Michael Jackson and the Beatles combined and recorded six albums in Japanese.
They also toured with Frank Sinatra in 1975 and were discovered by Joe Lewis, now owner of Spurs, who introduced them to Cliff Richard and the sisters became regulars on his TV show in 1974.
Back in 2009 Coleen, Linda, Maureen and late sister Bernie triumphantly returned to the stage with a show-stopping tour.
In 2021, The Nolans were awarded a Variety Legend of Industry Award, for services to recorded music and entertainment. It was accepted by Coleen, Denise, Maureen and Anne – as well as late sister Bernie’s daughter Erin, who was given a plaque in her mother’s memory.
Sisters: Maureen said: ‘We made millions, well, somebody made millions, but not us. I think we were ripped off a bit along the way’ (L-R) Maureen, Coleen, Linda and Bernie in 2011
Incredible: They sold over 30 million records – making them one of the biggest girl groups of all time. Going on to become the first Irish act to sell over 1 million records worldwid (pictured 1970)
Actress: Maureen moved from music to acting and has apperated in numerous musicals including Blood Brothers (pictured)
Earlier this month sister Linda revealed the sweet gift she received from Elton John as she told how the legendary musician reached out to her amid her cancer battle.
The singer, 64, was diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer in 2005 before getting the all-clear in 2006.
In 2017 she was diagnosed with incurable secondary cancer in her hip, before it spread to her liver in 2020 and then to her brain earlier this year.
Revealing whether any celebrities had ever reached out to her during her health battle, the Nolan sister confessed that Elton had sent her flowers, calling her a ‘wonderful woman’ and ‘very brave’.
She said: ‘It made my year – never mind my day!.’
Speaking to Bella magazine, Linda explained she had met the Rocket Man hitmaker in passing and was shocked when he sent her a huge flower arrangement.
‘It made my year – never mind my day!’: It come after sister Linda (pictured last month) revealed the sweet gift she received from Elton John as she told how the legendary musician reached out to her amid her cancer battle
Kind: Sending the flowers with a card, the message read: ‘Linda you are a wonderful woman, and you are very brave, lots of love Elton, David and the two boys’ (Elton pictured this month)
Sending the flowers with a card, the message read: ‘Linda you are a wonderful woman, and you are very brave, lots of love Elton, David and the two boys’.
Linda explained her sister Coleen Nolan’s makeup artists had done some work for Elton, and he managed to find out her address through the Loose Women presenter.
She said: ‘It made my year – never mind my day! It got to me because he doesn’t really know me, but he reached out.’
Linda has been incredibly open about her health in the hope it will help others going through the same and raise awareness.
Gushing about the support she receives from her family, the star revealed she lives with her sister Maureenwho helps her out around the house.
Yet her sister isn’t afraid to clapback at Linda, as she joked: ‘I asked her the other day, “Can I do anything?” And she said, “Yes – leave!”‘.
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