‘I never told anyone’: Coleen Nolan recalls the ‘fear’ and ‘panic’ of getting pregnant at 16

Coleen Nolan recalls the "panic" and fear" she felt after becoming pregnant at the age of 16. The presenter was supported by her Loose Women co-star Janet Street Porter when telling her story, who once found herself in the same situation as a teenager.

Speaking about their experiences on the daytime show, Coleen begins, "I always knew I wanted kids, and you know, as things happen, accidentally I got pregnant very young at 16."

She continues, "I'd just joined my sisters, and it was all taking off for the band." She says that the image of the band, The Nolans, was "sweet, innocent Irish girls."

Concerned for how the band would be perceived if knowledge of her pregnancy became public, Coleen says, "I didn't tell my sisters, I didn't tell my mum and dad - I didn't tell anyone."

Explaining the decision she made at the time, the presenter shares, "I went off and I did have a termination, at 16."

Looking back on how she felt at this stage of her life, Coleen recalls, "The panic, the absolute panic in me when I found out - this is why I have this thing about wanting my kids to be able to tell me everything."

She remembers just knowing, "I can't tell them," when thinking about her family, worried that she was going to "ruin their whole life."

Having just joined the band and being the youngest, she could only think about what a teenage pregnancy would look like for the future of The Nolans when making her very difficult decision.

Janet Street Porter stepped in to share her very similar experience of finding out she was pregnant at 17.

"I didn't grow up feeling particularly maternal, but I did get pregnant by my boyfriend, who was a steady boyfriend, at 17," she says.

She continues, "But oh my goodness, like Coleen, the idea of my parents finding out - I was absolutely the most scared I've ever been in my entire life."

Sharing her experience of deciding to end the pregnancy, Janet says, "I had a backstreet abortion which was absolutely horrible, I paid for it with £25 in cash and went to some place in Camden Town."

She's since never been able to walk down the street on which the termination took place, because "it brings back the memories."

"I was doing my A Levels and going to college," she says of plans that would've had to be postponed if she'd had the baby.

Ultimately, the relationship came to an end, and Janet had a further termination just before the partnership ended for good. "From then on my life started, and I did not have children in the immediate agenda," she says.

When a clip from the conversation was shared to Instagram, the presenters both received a number of supportive comments.

One person wrote, "Very strong women! They made choices for their bodies and lives. We need to make sure we will always have this option for all women."

Another added, "Thank you both for sharing this, it’s so important for women to have the right to choose, free from shame and judgement."

Somebody else shared, "Absolutely bless them for talking about such a devastating part of their lives."