Coleen Nolan realised she and her ex-husband Ray Fensome were "done" as a couple when he asked her for a cigarette at New Year rather than embrace her.
The 53-year-old star’s 10-year marriage to the professional guitarist ended at the start of 2018 and Coleen admits it was the lack of love between them when the clock struck midnight on 2017’s New Year’s Eve that made it clear that their love had run its course.
Speaking on ‘Loose Women’ on Monday (07.01.18), Coleen said: "The New Year before was a real light bulb moment for me. We had a party and everyone was there and the clock struck 12 and I looked at Ray and he was going round and wishing everyone Happy New Year, and then he came up to me and went ‘Have you got a fag?’ But I’m not having a go at him for that because I was like, ‘Oh yeah,’ but afterwards I thought, ‘We’re just done.’ It just wasn’t there for us at that point and because it’s meant to be that family and happy moment and going into the New Year all happy, it made me realise I was not."
The former Nolan Sisters singer still has an amicable relationship with Ray and the former couple spent Christmas together with their 17-year-old daughter Ciara.
Coleen admits it was one of the best festive breaks she’d ever had because she and Ray work better as "friends" rather than lovers.
She said: "We’ve had some fantastic Christmases but since all the breaking-up period, the last couple of Christmases have been quite hard and quite sad. This Christmas we spent together he came over Christmas Eve, we had one of the best Christmases we ever have, we all got on so well, there’s no pressure and we both realise we make just great friends and we just weren’t on the same page relationship wise."