Actress Vicki Michelle delivered an emotional tribute to her friend Linda Nolan on Good Morning Britain on Thursday.

Following the announcement of actress and singer Linda’s death on Wednesday 15 January, former EastEnders star Vicki appeared on the GMB sofa to talk about her friend to presenters Ed Balls and Kate Garraway. She revealed that the pair had known each other since the 1970s, when Linda was in the singing group The Nolans with her sisters and Vicki was appearing on TV comedy sketch shows including The Two Ronnies and The Goodies.

Linda had initially been diagnosed with breast cancer 20 years ago, and Vicki movingly said that: “I didn’t ever think she’d go.” She continued: “I thought she’d get through this and it would be like 20 years ago when it was first there.”

Vicki spoke about Linda on Good Morning Britain ( 
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ITV)
Vicki revealed that she and Linda used to go out in a group together in Essex in the 1970s, and that was how Linda got to know Brian Hudson, who she married in 1981. “There was a crowd of us who used to go out together and she met him, and they were madly in love with each other, they got married and he was the love of her life,” Vicki said.

Vicki went on to pay tribute to her friend, and how Linda’s cancer journey and her honesty about it inspired many other people. “She was open and honest and gave support and hope and confidence to so many people. I think that helped her cope with it as well because she was helping people and inspiring them not to give up.”

She shared her memories of her friend on the show ( 
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ITV)
Vicki lost her own sister, Suzie, who had a brain tumour, in 2023, and shared her loss with Linda, whose own sister Bernie had died from breast cancer in 2013. “My family are like hers, we are all really close and we live within 10 minutes of each other, so when something like that happens it is traumatic, and you don’t get over it,” she said. “It’s been over a year since we lost Suzie and I still think of her as there, and I think the whole family will think the same of Linda, she’s still there because of her energy.”

Linda Nolan originally found fame singing with her sisters as part of The Nolans, reaching number 3 in the UK in 1979 with “I’m in the Mood for Dancing” before going on to perform in the West End. She died aged 65 after a long journey with secondary breast cancer. She passed away with her famous sisters by her site and her final hours were said to have been full of “love and comfort”.

In a statement released to the Mirror, agent Dermot McNamara, said: “It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Linda Nolan, the celebrated Irish pop legend, television personality, Guinness World Record holding West End star, Sunday Times bestselling author and Daily Mirror columnist. She passed at around 10:20am at Blackpool Victoria Hospital on the MCEW Ward. The family said the hospital couldn’t do enough, they were tireless.”