Coleen Nolan has confirmed her relationship with her toyboy boyfriend, university lecturer Ryan Brockbank, with whom she grew close after filming Celebs Go Dating. The Loose Women star went Instagram official with her new man, posting a loved-up selfie that showed the couple smiling together as Ryan rested his head on Coleen's.
Instagram Official
The 61-year-old singer and TV star, who found love away from the public eye following her unsuccessful efforts on Celebs Go Dating, captioned the post with "R," alongside a red heart emoji. The upload, which was liked thousands of times, was soon flooded with messages of support.
Her family and friends were quick to comment, with The Nolan's official Instagram gushing: "Got the Chemistry right." Coleen's sister Maureen penned: "What a handsome couple," while Anne Nolan added: "Lovely photo." Celebs Go Dating star Anna Williamson wrote: "There she is my Queen Coleen. You deserve it all." Coleen's daughter, Ciara Fensome, added: "Ryaaaaannn."
Firing Back at Critics
One social media user hit out at Coleen, writing: "Maybe could have waited a while longer before going public.. unless of course she's been in this relationship for longer than a few months.." But firing back, Coleen fumed: "Exactly that..."
Speaking about Coleen's romance with Ryan, who is believed to be in his 40s and is a fashion retail academy professor, a source said: "Coleen is pretty smitten with Ryan. She talks about him all the time – her kids know about him and things are moving pretty fast." They added to The Sun: "He's very creative and a dad himself, so they have lots in common. She learnt about herself and dating when she did Celebs Go Dating and has really applied it to the real world."
Dating in Her 60s
Little else is known about Ryan, who is thought to have a child from a previous relationship, but in pictures obtained by The Sun, they were seen walking with their arms linked on a recent sunny day out. Speaking previously to the Mirror, Coleen revealed that she'd been inundated with interest from younger men.
"It's a minefield," she declared of dating in her 60s. "A lot of the attention I get is from younger men sliding into my Instagram DMs, and I think, 'Why? What could you possibly want with me?' My rule is, I don't want to date anyone I could have given birth to." She added: "Some of them act really old, like, 'We're too old for that now.' The minute someone says that, I'm out. I’m 61, but mentally I'm about 35. I want someone who still wants to live, laugh and do things."
After her split from her ex, Michael, whom she met on Tinder, she said she ruled out ever using dating apps again. She commented: "If they'd asked me before, I wouldn't have done it as I wouldn't have had the confidence."
