Linda Nolan’s nephew, Jake Roche, fought back tears on Friday evening as he took to the stage just two days after her death following a 20-year battle with breast cancer.
The former Rixton frontman, and son of Loose Women’s Coleen Nolan and Eastenders’ Shane Richie, opened up to the intimate audience during his one-man comedy show, Nepporhoids.
‘I didn’t know if I was going to do the show,’ Jake confessed, visibly emotional after the death of his beloved aunt.
‘I had some news this week that my Auntie Linda passed away. But she would’ve f***ing killed me if I’d cancelled,’ he revealed, his voice cracking as he spoke.
The teary-eyed comedian reflected on Linda’s impact, saying: ‘To a lot of people, she was an entertainer, a singer and whatnot. But to me, she was an auntie who I’m going to miss very much.’
‘And my mum came and surprised me as well which is sending me over the edge,’ he revealed.
Sitting in the intimate venue’s ‘royal box’ was Coleen, 59, who bravely attended the £15 performance despite the heartache of losing her sister just two days prior.
A source attending the show at The Pleasance Theatre in North London said Coleen ‘showed incredible strength’ as she laughed through the hour-long set.
Linda Nolan’s nephew, Jake Roche, opened up to the intimate audience during his one-man comedy show, Nepporhoids
Linda Nolan (seen in 2023), who died on Wednesday following a 20-year battle with cancer, previously revealed that her biggest life regret was not becoming a mother
The singer’s death was revealed in a statement released by her agent who revealed she had been diagnosed with double pneumonia (Linda pictured in 1984)
The source revealed that the former Nolan Sisters singer was hysterical when Jake pulled down his trousers to reveal his Ellen DeGeneres face-printed boxers.
The moment was part of his discussion of a haemorrhoid problem that both he and his father, Shane, who plays Alfie Moon in EastEnders, reportedly share.
Jake went on to joke that they both suffer from ‘the biggest haemorrhoids the doctor has ever seen,’ a claim he later confirmed was true.
However, when the tribute to Linda concluded with The Nolans’ iconic hit ‘I’m in the Mood for Dancing,’ Coleen was seen breaking down in tears and being comforted by her daughter, Ciara Fensome, 24, who sat beside her.
The source said: ‘Coleen was clearly holding it together for most of the night, but when the tribute to Linda came, it was all too much. It was a deeply sad moment.’
At the very start of the show, the Rixton chart-topper called Coleen a ‘wonderful caring nurturing mother’ and blew a kiss up to her before mouthing, ‘I love you.’
But as the performance was full of admiration for Coleen, it also included a series of jabs directed at his father.
Shane, 60, who appeared to find the performance somewhat less amusing, sat on the opposite side of the venue.
‘I had some news this week that my Auntie Linda passed away. But she would’ve f***ing killed me if I’d cancelled,’ he revealed, his voice cracking as he spoke.
A source attending the show at The Pleasance Theatre in North London said Coleen ‘showed incredible strength’ as she laughed through the hour-long set
Linda rose to fame in the 1970s alongside her sisters Maureen, Coleen and Bernie as a member of the girlband The Nolan Sisters
Linda was born as the sixth of eight children to Tommy and Maureen Nolan on February 23 1959 in Dublin
The source said Shane did not engage with the interactive elements of the show, and was seen sitting with his head resting in his hands for the majority of it.
‘Shane didn’t crack a smile throughout the whole thing, but it’s not surprising given what his son was revealing,’ they said.
On multiple occasions the comedian referred to the EastEnders star as a ‘narcissist’ and almost immediately referenced the affair he had while married to Coleen.
The Loose Women panellist was married to Shane for seven years before she discovered he was cheating on her.
Not a single glance was reported to be shared between the pair on Friday evening according to the source.
‘They couldn’t have been seated further apart, and while she was sat sobbing, he was laughing very loudly with his group of friends,’ they added.
Jake also reenacted the moment he learned about the abuse Shane suffered at the hands of his own father, revealing how Shane had to ‘hide’ whenever his father ‘came home from the pub’ as he was physically violent towards him as a child.
After the show, a source overheard Coleen asking Shane’s son Mackenzie Blue Roche, 18, whom he shares with Christie Goddard: ‘How do you feel that, that’s all about your dad?’
Linda’s sister Coleen wrote on Instagram: ‘Her memory will live on in the many lives she touched’
The teenager replied: ‘I can feel it and I understand it.’
Another person not likely to be impressed by the show’s revelations is Jesy Nelson, his ex-fiance and former Little Mix star, who announced last week she and on/off boyfriend Zion are expecting twins.
Rixton chart topper Jake, who was engaged to Jesy, 33, until they split in 2016, talked about how he broke up with his ‘famous popstar’ girlfriend.
Jesy’s role was played by a microphone stand wearing pink sunglasses in the one-man show, and – in a bizarre moment – Jake lay on the floor thrusting and writhing around with the prop while reenacting intimate scenes between the pair.
The former frontman then delved into the story of their breakup, recounting a pivotal moment where he ‘just knew’ it was over.
‘We pulled up outside a house that we bought together – in her name and with her money – and she begins to cry, and you know when you just know,’ Jake shared.
‘And she walks into the house and I realise then and there, and I never see her again,’ he continued.
Yet he later added: ‘I’m sorry actually I do – two weeks later at the BRIT Awards she was singing a song dedicated to her ex and she directed it straight down the barrel to me at home.
Rixton chart topper Jake, who was engaged to Jesy, 33, until they split in 2016, talked about how he broke up with his ‘famous popstar’ girlfriend
Jesy Nelson, his ex-fiance and former Little Mix star, announced last week she and on/off boyfriend Zion are expecting twins
‘I was curled up on the sofa at my mum’s watching, eating stale rich tea biscuits.’
It comes as just last year Jake spoke out about his public fall from grace which saw him go from scoring a number one hit and touring with mega star Ed Sheeran, to ‘losing it all’ and having to move into his mother’s garage.
Speaking to The Times, he revealed how he bagged a record deal as the face of pop-rock band Rixton, partied with Justin Bieber and was engaged to the Little Mix star before his whole world was ‘blown to smithereens’.
The once-famous singer was then forced to sign on for benefits and move back to his childhood home and admitted he felt like a failure.
Jake explained: ‘It’s your classic story of a teen pop star who gets it all and loses it all… [I had] an existential crisis at the end of my twenties…’
He continued: ‘I’d never experienced failure in my whole life. Every audition I would go to I would get. It blew me to smithereens…’
This week the Nolan family faced the ultimate heartbreak when Linda passed away in hospital aged 65 with her famous sisters by her side following double pneumonia amid a 20-year battle with breast cancer.
Coleen shared a statement on penning: ‘I am utterly devastated by the passing of my sister, Linda.
‘Linda was a beacon of love, kindness and strength. Her wit, humour and laughter was infectious, her presence could light up any room.
‘Linda had a heart full of compassion and always knew how to bring comfort and joy to those around her.
‘Her memory will live on in the many lives she touched, and while we miss her more than words can express, we take solace in the love and warmth she shared will all of us. Rest in peace, Linda.
‘You will forever be in our hearts. Love you, Coleen xxx (Colette)’.
