Bernie Nolan as Sheelagh Murphy.
Bernie Nolan as Sgt. Sheelagh Murphy.
Bernadette "Bernie" Therese Nolan (17 October 1960-4 July 2013 in Crumlin, Dublin, Republic of Ireland) is an Irish born English singer, actress and entertainer, formerly lead vocalist of the Nolan sisters. She was raised in Blackpool, England after her family re-located there in 1962.In 2000 she joined the cast of Channel 4's soap opera Brookside, after being noticed by Paul Marquess whilst starring in the play Blood Brothers. She left in 2002 to play Sheelagh Murphy in ITV's police drama series The Bill. Her character Sheelagh had an affair with Des Taviner, their baby daughter then died and Des, who had killed six fellow officers, was beaten to death in custody. Other traumas included finding out that her son was gay and behind several 'homophobic' attacks and a relationship with evil PC Gabriel Kent, who she was engaged to, but he committed suicide when he was to be jailed for rape and murder. Although Bernie left The Bill in 2005 the door was left open, for a return, due to her character's enduring popularity. In 2006 she took part in Channel 4's series The Games, arriving last in the female category. However, rumours abound that she may have actually come fourth and was only ranked last due to a scoring error. Her stint on the game was to raise money for charity, including Alzheimer's and children's charities. Her latest theatre role was in the 2007 Manchester Opera House pantomime Cinderella, in which she played the fairy Godmother.In 2007, Bernie starred in the play Mum's the Word, and was lined up to star in the Iceland adverts for the summer with her younger sister Coleen. During summer season she appeared at the Blackpool North Pier Theatre in her own production, Soap Queens (And Kings!). Bernie is also starred in Flashdance - The Musical! at Plymouth's Theatre Royal, as Hannah Owens.
Cancer and Death[]
Bernie Nolan as Murphy.
It was revealed on 23 April 2010 that Nolan was suffering from breast cancer which spread to her lymph nodes.In October 2010, she stated that she was cancer-free after having undergone chemotherapy and a mastectomy, and was taking herceptin. In February 2012, she announced that she was no longer taking cancer treatment drugs, and was completely free of cancer. At the end of October 2012, Bernie announced that the cancer had returned and was incurable. It had metastasised to her brain, lungs, liver and bones. Her sisters Anne and Linda suffered from the disease in 2000 and 2006 respectively; both recovered.
Bernie died from cancer in her sleep, at her home in Surrey on 4 July 2013, aged 52.