We’ve all been wondering why Coleen hasn’t been on Loose Women for the past few weeks but today she revealed the reason why.
This lunchtime the 52-year-old broke the devastating news that her older sister Linda has secondary cancer.
Even though the condition is not curable doctors are able to treat her and she could still have “years” to live.
Read more: Corrie’s Brooke Vincent to take on internet trolls
Speaking to fellow panellists Ruth Langsford, Stacey Solomon and Nadia Sawalha, Coleen said: “This is so hard. My sister Linda had an accident in her home where she fell up the stairs.
“She fractured and broke her hip and went to hospital.
“While they did the scan of her hip, they found secondary cancer. She had been clear of breast cancer for six years.”
Struggling to hold back the tears she added: “They found a cyst attached to her pelvis. So it was just earth-shattering for us initially.
“She is incredible. The reason I didn’t come back is because she didn’t want anyone to know.
“But she wanted me to come back now and she’s not ready to come back to it yet.”
During the Celebrity Big Brother winner’s absence many suspected it was due to the breakdown of her marriage to hubby Ray Fensome.
Read more: Piers Morgan lashes out at “feckless” parents on GMB
So, this emotional news came as a complete shock.
Trying to keep a positive outlook the star said: “The positive thing is, although it is not curable, it is treatable and it hasn’t spread anywhere else.
“Linda wants to get it across she isn’t dying of cancer because it is treatable and she could have years, so we have to focus on that.”
Coleen even admitted to having a stress-related allergy after finding out the horrible news – no surprise, given she lost sister Bernie to breast cancer at the age of 52 in 2013.
Ending the news to her colleagues and viewers, Coleen said: “We messaged each other and said, I remember getting a message from my older brother saying, ‘Oh God, here we go again, but we’ll do it.
“And we will, we’ll fight as a family.”