Coleen Nolan’s time on Celebs Go Dating may not have produced a lasting match, but it reportedly transformed her outlook on relationships.
Coleen has since made her relationship with younger boyfriend Ryan Brockbank public on Instagram, sharing a loved-up picture alongside his initial and a red heart emoji.
According to the Daily Mail, Coleen was introduced to younger suitors while filming the E4 dating programme. Although those dates did not lead to a relationship, the experience is said to have made her more open to a different type of partnership.
Coleen Nolan ‘really happy’ in new relationship
A source told the newspaper that Coleen and Ryan have been quietly seeing each other for several months, saying: “Coleen is really happy.
“She was introduced to younger guys while taking part in Celebs Go Dating and it really opened her eyes to having a different kind of relationship.”
The insider claimed the couple have plenty of fun together and make each other laugh. Ryan is believed to be in his late forties and works as a lecturer at London’s Fashion Retail Academy.
Coleen had joined Celebs Go Dating hoping its experts could help her find a new partner. Producers paired her with younger men, but she left the agency without finding love.
However, the newspaper reports that those dates broadened her view of what she wanted from a relationship. Ryan then came into her life away from the cameras.
There were hints that Coleen was seeing someone before she confirmed the romance publicly. During a July episode of her YouTube show, Nolans Uncensored, her children Shane and Ciara repeatedly mentioned somebody named Ryan.
When they began singing Stevie Wonder’s For Once In My Life, Coleen joked: “I’m going to sing that to Ryan.”
Romantic East Sussex getaway
Coleen and Ryan reportedly took another step forward during a week-long break in East Sussex in July. The couple explored the countryside and spent a day in Brighton. Coleen later shared photographs from the trip.
A source claimed the getaway left Coleen feeling that the relationship was heading in the right direction.
The new romance comes during a period of personal change for the presenter. Coleen has lost three-and-a-half stone and gone from a size 20 to a size 14 after beginning work with weight-loss company Voy earlier this year.
Friends quoted by the Daily Mail claimed she has been feeling more confident and that her family are happy for her.
Coleen’s representative has been contacted for comment.
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