Coleen Nolan heartbroken as she lays bare son’s darkest period: ‘It’s very raw’

Coleen Nolan has admitted that she didn’t know that her pop star son Jake Roche had been financially struggling and on universal credit

Coleen Nolan has admitted that she had no idea that her popstar son Jake Roche had been struggling financially and was claiming universal credit before soaring to stardom.

Loose Women panelist Coleen, has said she was “heartbroken” to learn that Jake had moved in with Ed Sheeran during their early 20s and was struggling to make ends meet, with the musician opening up about his money struggles during his new show, Neoporrhoids, at the Edinburgh Fringe last month.

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Fortunately for Jake, now 33, there were better days ahead as his band Rixton hit the big time, leading to touring America with Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber. Coleen, who has enjoyed a long singing career herself, has told the Daily Star following the launch of her new book A Hand to Hold: All I’ve Learnt About Grief, that she was proud that her son could now speak openly about past struggles and his “darkest period”.

Jake Roche and mum Coleen Nolan at Edinburgh Fringe

Jake Roche has spoken about financial difficulties when he was younger ( 
Image:
Getty Images)

Coleen said: “It’s very raw. All the things he talked about, it broke my heart to watch it. As a parent, you think you know everything about your kids, but there were lots that I learned. He was very honest about the things he’d gone through that he hadn’t told me. He hadn’t told me the year when he was living at Ed Sheeran’s house, or how much he struggled or how much pain he was in.”

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Coleen then added that she felt terrible after hearing of his struggles: “I never knew that, so to hear that and see him relive that, it was heart-wrenching, and then brilliant that he could be that honest and open. There were sad moments when I thought, ‘Why didn’t you call me?’ but then you realise that he didn’t want to worry you. His whole thing about when he lost it all was that he didn’t know how to tell his friends and family.”

The TV personality said that there was a reason why her son hadn’t got in touch. She said: “And also, he was embarrassed. And he never told me that at the time. He was like, ‘No, it’s fine mum, I don’t care, I’m happy’ and yet he wasn’t really. It’s hard when it’s your kid because you think you know them so well or you think you’ve done everything right. But I never realised that went on.”

Coleen has two children with ex-husband Shane Richie, sons Shane Jr, 35, and Jake, as well as daughter Ciara, 22, with her former partner Ray Fensome.