Legendary 70s singer marries fiancé after 47 years of relationship

Denise Nolan has married her fiancé Tom Anderson after almost 50 years together.

The couple met in 1977 when Denise sang alongside her sister in The Nolans and Tom was a drummer in the London Rooms.

He played in her band after she began her solo career, and the two began dating the same year before Tom proposed to her in the 1990s.

After a long engagement period, the couple finally got married on Blackpool’s famous promenade surrounded by their loved ones, including Denise’s sisters Coleen, Linda, Anne and Maureen.

In pictures shared with OK! Magazine, the bride can be seen beaming from ear to ear in a beaded champagne dress, a stunning blue blazer and a matching fascinator.

Denise carried a yellow and white bouquet that matched Tom’s buttonhole as he stood next to her in a smart gray suit.

Denise’s sisters couldn’t have looked happier as they posed with the newlyweds on a staircase after the ceremony, standing with giant illuminated letters spelling out “love.”

Speaking to the publication, Denise revealed that her decision to get married was due to Tom’s Parkinson’s diagnosis six years ago.

According to the NHS, Parkinson’s disease is a progressive condition that affects the nervous system. Initial symptoms may include a tremor in just one hand before symptoms become more severe.

She told OK! that the couple did not want to wait until things could get much worse later and it could be hard work.

The singer also cited personal losses as another reason for the marriage after her sister Bernie died of cancer in 2013.

The lovebirds had originally planned a small ceremony with just themselves and a witness, but when Linda got wind of their plans, she persuaded them to throw a bigger bash.

“When we told Linda, she said, ‘You have to tell the family,’ and reminded me how sad I was when Coleen ran away and married (Shane Richie). That’s when I realised I had to tell them. Then there were no longer four of us, there were about 55 of us,” she said.

Thanking her family for their support, she continued, “The family is all very generous, but Linda is especially generous. God bless her that she won’t be leaving us anytime soon, but I think she feels that with her terminal illness, she wants to help if she can.”