Revealed: Coleen Nolan’s Heartbreak After Seven Years Without Seeing Her Granddaughter — And the Quiet Family Rift Few Knew About

Coleen Nolan hasn’t seen her granddaughter, Amelia Rose, for nearly seven years after the girl’s parents, Emma Kivell and Shane Jnr, fell out

For Coleen Nolan, the moment should have been one of the happiest of her life.

Coleen with her former husband, actor Shane Richie, who is Amelia Rose’s grandfather

Back in January 2016, inside a hospital room in Manchester, the Loose Women star watched her son Shane cradle his newborn daughter for the very first time. Overcome with emotion, Coleen sobbed tears of joy as she met little Amelia Rose, her first grandchild.

The experience left her deeply moved. So proud was Coleen that just days later she spoke openly to a national newspaper about becoming a grandmother — unable to hide her delight.

“The moment Shane held her was so emotional,” she said at the time.
“It was my baby holding his baby. I finally understood what the big deal was about becoming a grandparent. It was overwhelming. I felt so proud of him.”

But nearly a decade on, the picture could not be more different.

Seven years apart — and a family fracture behind it

Ms Kivell was upset when Shane Jnr and his family sent her a ‘script’ of what he and new girlfriend Kimberley Sallis were going to write on Instagram to announce she was pregnant just ten minutes before they posted the news

The Mail on Sunday can reveal that Coleen has not seen her granddaughter for almost seven years, following a breakdown in relations between Amelia’s parents — Shane Nolan Jnr and the child’s mother, Emma Kivell.

Friends say that what began as an emotional high quickly became a deeply complicated situation.

“When Amelia was born, Coleen was on cloud nine,” one friend said.
“She absolutely adored that baby. But Shane and Emma weren’t together, and these situations can become incredibly difficult to navigate.”

According to those close to the family, while Shane had initially promised to support Emma as she raised Amelia as a single mother — alongside help from her own family — contact between the Nolan family and the little girl eventually stopped altogether.

Tensions worsen behind the scenes

The situation reportedly deteriorated further in July, when Emma and those close to her were left upset and angry over how news of Shane’s expanding family was handled.

Just ten minutes before Shane and his then-partner Kimberley Sallis publicly announced her pregnancy on Instagram, Emma was sent a “script” of what the couple planned to write online.

The timing, sources say, caused particular distress — Amelia was still at school and her mother had no chance to prepare her before the announcement became public.

One friend of Emma’s was so unhappy with how events unfolded that they attempted to complain to ITV about Coleen — only to be told the matter was a “private family issue.”

A complicated family history

Shane Jnr, now 36, met Emma while the pair were working together as Bluecoats at a holiday resort. Speaking candidly at the time, Coleen once told the Mirror:

“They got together one night — and there you go.”

She also admitted that while she had hoped the couple would stay together, she understood they were not compatible long-term.

“You always wish people are deeply in love and see a future together,” she said.
“But I just thought, ‘Oh my God — I’m going to be a nanny,’ and I was thrilled.”

Coleen later went on to announce her joy at becoming a grandmother again, revealing online that her youngest son Jake Roche was expecting a baby with his fiancée Georgia.

Sharing the moment publicly, she described a gender-reveal party at her home and said she “couldn’t be more thrilled” to welcome a grandson.

However, sources close to Emma claim that the announcement reopened old wounds, particularly given Coleen’s previous public gushing about Amelia Rose.

Weddings, break-ups and further strain

In July 2022, Shane Jnr married former Miss Great Britain Maddie Wahdan after six years together. Amelia was not present at the lavish ceremony held at Rushton Hall in Kettering, as Shane posed for photographs alongside his famous parents.

The marriage later collapsed, with reports emerging in December 2023 that the couple had split following allegations of infidelity.

By last summer, Shane had reportedly found love again with mortgage manager Kimberley Sallis, who already has a daughter of her own.

Silence — and unanswered questions

When approached for comment on the ongoing family rift, Coleen Nolan did not respond.

The former Nolans singer — who married Shane Richie in 1990 before their split in 1997 — has previously spoken openly about betrayal, heartbreak and resilience in her own life.

Yet for those who know her, the pain of being separated from her first grandchild remains one of the most quietly devastating chapters of all.

“She loves all her grandchildren,” one source said softly.
“But there’s an emptiness there that never really goes away.”

Whether the rift will ever heal — and whether Amelia Rose will one day reconnect with her famous grandmother — remains an unanswered question.