Dark side to The Nolans' success: 'Original Spice Girls' who became the 'UK's first millionaire girl band' were pushed to succeed by their fame-hungry mother and abusive father
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Before Posh, Baby, Sporty, Scary and Ginger hit the music scene, professional Irish singer Maureen Nolan's six daughters became the UK's 'first millionaire girl band'. Linda Nolan - who yesterday died aged 65 after a 20-year battle with cancer - joined her siblings in shooting to superstardom in the 80s, best known for hits like I'm in the Mood for Dancing.
![[Coleen, Maureen and Bernadette with their mother Maureen and father Tommy in 1984]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/15/16/94127783-14287685-image-m-17_1736957751691.jpg)
However, despite their success, the family's legacy is tarnished with tragedies, including death and illness as well as past familial tensions and abuse. Linda's sister Anne, 74, opened up to MailOnline in 2008 about the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her late father Tommy Nolan. He was also violent towards her sisters and their mother.
![[Linda Nolan seen attending the Bold x Pink Ribbon Foundation Party at the Century Club in London in February 2024]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/15/16/94127791-14287685-image-m-19_1736957763632.jpg)
She bravely wrote: 'At 11-years-old I trusted him. Maybe this was something dads did with their daughters. My overwhelming reaction was one of puzzlement. I remember thinking to myself: "Why is Dad doing this?".'. While Anne has previously dubbed her father the 'monster in our family', their mother was deeply beloved by her children.
![[Nolan Sisters Coleen, Maureen, Bernie and Linda performing in November 1981]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/15/16/94127785-14287685-image-m-21_1736957786063.jpg)
The group's matriarch was said to impose strict rules to keep her girls 'clean' and was known for her disciplined showbiz savvy: from late night rehearsals to debuting her children on the stage when they were as young as four-years-old. She passed away in 2008, aged 81, after years of battling Alzheimer's disease, but in her early years, Maureen - known for her powerful soprano voice - was dubbed the Irish Forces' Sweetheart, reported the Express.
![[The Nolan sisters' parents Tommy and Maureen (pictured) pushed them to success - but their father was both violent and abusive]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/15/18/94134129-14287685-image-a-62_1736966857219.jpg)
