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Anna Nolan (born 16 October 1970) is an Irish television presenter, producer and former business manager, waitress and Irish international
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player. She has presented numerous television programmes in Ireland and the UK.


Early life

When she was young Nolan's mother noticed that she always ran away when young males visited and rarely dated boys. She did eventually date two men. She joined a convent in the
Sisters of Loreto The Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose members are commonly known as the Loreto Sisters, is a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women dedicated to education founded in Saint-Omer by an Englishwoman, Mary Ward, in 1609. The congr ...
, and has fond memories of her time there: "I loved the nuns and the work they did. They were the coolest group of women". She left after a drunken incident which confirmed for her that "the Catholic church has no place for women really". One year after leaving the convent, Nolan
came out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...
. Her mother asked her if she was gay one 1992 Saturday night about midnight when 22-year-old Nolan arrived home from her first night out in a
gay bar A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) clientele; the term ''gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT communities. Gay bars once served as ...
. Her father was welcoming of her homosexuality, offering to accompany her on nights out if she wished and giving her the following advice, "Anna, never underestimate that there are people out there who hate gays, would like to hurt gay people and will never accept them. You don't have to mix with them, but they will always be there." These words returned to her when she was filming for the BBC in Australia and was accosted by "an Australian right-wing
homophobe Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred or antipathy, ma ...
living in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
– a very damaged character".


Career


Big Brother

Nolan came to prominence in 2000 as the runner up in the first series of the British reality show '' Big Brother''. Her life as a lesbian ex-nun was central to the majority of the titillation in the first series in contrast with later series when, said the ''Irish Independent'' in 2007, "the freakshow has ratcheted to the point where Nolan would be deemed far too Waltons Mountain for ''Big Brother''". She was present for a part of reality television history when
Craig Phillips Craig Phillips (born 16 October 1971) is an English television personality and builder. He is known for winning the first series of '' Big Brother'' in 2000. He is trained as a bricklayer, and has appeared in numerous television series related ...
took on 'Nasty Nick' Bateman and his manipulative interferences. People ask her: "Are you Anna from Big Brother?" She used to deny this after losing interest but now she embraces her past. She describes her time in ''Big Brother'' as follows: "There were moments when I wanted to leave due to boredom, or people irritating me, or missing people at home. Did I enjoy it? It wasn't about enjoying it, it was about getting through it." Prior to entering ''Big Brother'', Nolan thought nobody would watch the show as she had discussed it with two friends and "One of them said, 'Why on earth would anyone want to watch that?' and we changed the subject". In June 2010, ''RTÉ Ten'' named Nolan as one of its "Top 10 BB Housemates".


Presenting

After leaving the ''Big Brother'' house, she began working in television, paving the way for future ''Big Brother'' housemates who were to do the same, such as
Jade Goody Jade Cerisa Lorraine Goody (5 June 1981 â€“ 22 March 2009) was an English television personality. She came to public prominence in 2002 when she appeared on the third series of the Channel 4 reality show '' Big Brother''. She went on to s ...
,
Chantelle Houghton Chantelle Vivien Houghton (born 21 August 1983) is an English television personality, glamour model, and columnist. In 2006, she competed in the fourth series of the Channel 4 reality series ''Celebrity Big Brother''. Houghton was sent in as ...
and
Nikki Grahame Nicola Rachele-Beth Grahame (28 April 1982 – 9 April 2021) was an English television personality, model and author. She was a contestant on the seventh series of ''Big Brother UK'' in 2006, in which she finished in fifth place, and later st ...
. Nolan worked for the BBC on two series, '' Anna in Wonderland'' and '' Closure''. She also began working for
Raidió Teilifís Éireann Raidi (; ; also written Ragdi; born August, 1938) is a Tibetan politician of the People's Republic of China. He served as a vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 2003 to 2008, and the highest ranking Tibeta ...
(RTÉ). Nolan co-presented ''
The Afternoon Show ''The Afternoon Show'' is Raidió Teilifís Éireann's former live flagship daytime show. It ran from 2004 until May 2010. The programme was dropped by RTÉ as part of its new season of television in 2010, to be replaced by two afternoon prog ...
'' on
RTÉ One RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís à ...
, along with
Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh (; born 12 November 1970) is an Irish TV presenter, she has presented ''Echo Island'', ''The Afternoon Show'' and ''Charity ICA Bootcamp''. She was a judge in ''The All Ireland Talent Show'' and participated in ''Celebrity ...
. She spent three years presenting this. She announced in August 2006 that she would not be renewing her contract for the third series. She was replaced with first-season host (who was not present in season 2)
Sheana Keane Sheana Keane (born 27 May 1975) is an Irish presenter on Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). She presented the programmes ''Health Squad'' (2001–2006) and ''The Afternoon Show'' (2004–2005; 2006–2010). Her broadcasting career b ...
. Nolan has stood in for
Marian Finucane Marian Finucane ( ; 21 May 1950 – 2 January 2020) was an Irish broadcaster with Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). She began working with the national broadcaster in 1974, starting as a continuity announcer. She was the first presenter of ''L ...
on
RTÉ Radio RTÉ Radio is a division of the Irish national broadcasting organisation Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Radio broadcasts four analogue channels and five digital channels nationwide. Founded in January 1926 as 2RN, the first broadcaster in th ...
, most memorably during the
Kevin Myers Kevin Myers (born 30 March 1947) is an English-born Irish journalist and writer. He has contributed to the ''Irish Independent'', the Irish edition of ''The Sunday Times'', and ''The Irish Times''s column "An Irishman's Diary". Myers is kno ...
"bastards" controversy in 2005, with the Irish media noting the irony of Nolan being a sister-in-law of Myers. In August 2006, Nolan was a presenter of the BBC programme ''Inside Out'' when the
BBC North East and Cumbria BBC North East and Cumbria is one of BBC's English Regions covering Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Gateshead, South Tyneside, City of Sunderland, County Durham, Northumberland, most parts of North Yorkshire & Cumbria. The region provides u ...
crew filmed ''Anomalous Phenomena Investigations'' of
Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
, conducting a paranormal investigation at
Hurworth Grange Community Centre Built in 1875, Hurworth Grange Community Centre in the village of Hurworth-on-Tees, Durham, England, has had a long and varied history, from private residence of a wealthy Quaker banking family to its modern-day use as a well-loved community centre. ...
in
Hurworth-on-Tees Hurworth-on-Tees is a village in the borough of Darlington, within the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated in the civil parish of Hurworth. The village lies to the south of Darlington on the River Tees, close to its ...
. The show aired on 30 October 2006. Nolan has been an occasional panellist on
RTÉ Two (RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...
discussion show '' The Panel''. From 2007 to 2009 she was a reporter for the RTÉ series ''
Would You Believe Would You Believe may refer to: Music Albums * ''Would You Believe'' (Billy Nicholls album) or the title song, 1968 * ''Would You Believe?'' (Hollies album), 1966 * ''Would You Believe'', by Ray Charles, 1990 Songs * "Would You Believe" (song), ...
''. She has cooked a meal on '' The Restaurant''. She hosted '' Celebrities Go Wild'' with
Aidan Power Aidan Power (born 30 March 1979) is an Irish television and radio presenter. Career Born in Templeogue, Dublin, Power was educated at St. Mac Dara's community college and then Ballyfermot Senior College where he obtained a diploma in broadca ...
in October 2007. In December 2007, she presented ''Webs of Desire'' on RTÉ One, during which she investigated the sexual possibilities of the internet, attended a
fetishist A fetish (derived from the French , which comes from the Portuguese , and this in turn from Latin , 'artificial' and , 'to make') is an object believed to have supernatural powers, or in particular, a human-made object that has power over oth ...
club to discuss bondage discipline sado-masochism (
BDSM BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged ...
) with a male person and interviewed an anonymous man who was accompanied by the caption "Individual Addicted to Porn." In August 2010, Nolan featured in ''
Ultimate Big Brother ''Ultimate Big Brother'' was the final series of the UK reality television programme ''Big Brother (UK TV series), Big Brother'' to air on Channel 4. The series was produced by Remarkable Pictures, a division of Endemol. ''Ultimate Big Brother' ...
'', during which
Nikki Grahame Nicola Rachele-Beth Grahame (28 April 1982 – 9 April 2021) was an English television personality, model and author. She was a contestant on the seventh series of ''Big Brother UK'' in 2006, in which she finished in fifth place, and later st ...
felt her head.


Producing

In 2011, Nolan produced the show '' Operation Transformation''. She also produced reality show ''Mission Beach'' for RTÉ. She writes a weekly column for the ''
Evening Herald ''The Herald'' is a nationwide mid-market tabloid newspaper headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and published by Independent News & Media who are a subsidiary of Mediahuis. It is published Monday–Saturday. The newspaper was known as the ''Ev ...
''. In 2012, she directed her first documentary "Perfect Heart", about one man's wait for a heart transplant. She was series producer of the RTÉ show "Room To Improve" in 2012. Nolan presents ''
The Great Irish Bake Off ''The Great Irish Bake Off'' was an Irish reality TV cooking series. The show was based on the successful BBC show ''The Great British Bake Off''. The show was produced by Sideline Productions for the TV3 Group. It premiered on TV3 Ireland on 1 ...
'' for TV3 and in 2014 was the Development Executive for COCO Television. As of 2022, Nolan is Head of Development at COCO Content.


Personal life

Nolan was in a long-term relationship with
Dearbhla Walsh Dearbhla Walsh is an Irish film and television director who has worked on drama series for several television channels in Ireland and the United Kingdom, including episodes of '' EastEnders'', '' Shameless'' and ''The Tudors''. She won the 2009 ...
, an
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
-winning drama director but in 2014 she told Brendan O’Connor on ''
The Saturday Night Show ''The Saturday Night Show'' is a talk show hosted by Brendan O'Connor broadcast on RTÉ One between 2010 and 2015. The show features guest interviews, audience participation and live music. ''The Saturday Night Show'' is broadcast every Saturday ...
'' that she "had to adjust to being single". ''Big Brother'' host
Davina McCall Davina Lucy Pascale McCall (born 16 October 1967) is an English television presenter. She was the presenter of the reality show ''Big Brother (UK), Big Brother'' during its run on Channel 4 between 2000 and 2010. She also hosted Channel 4's '' ...
said that Anna Nolan was the only ''Big Brother'' housemate she ever befriended and that (in 2011) the two remained friends. Nolan has also maintained contact with
Craig Phillips Craig Phillips (born 16 October 1971) is an English television personality and builder. He is known for winning the first series of '' Big Brother'' in 2000. He is trained as a bricklayer, and has appeared in numerous television series related ...
and
Mel Hill John Melvin Hill (February 15, 1915 – April 11, 1996) was an ice hockey right winger who was perhaps best known for his record three overtime goals in a playoff series in the 1939 playoffs which earned him the moniker, "Sudden Death". He was b ...
. She was also supportive of
Jade Goody Jade Cerisa Lorraine Goody (5 June 1981 â€“ 22 March 2009) was an English television personality. She came to public prominence in 2002 when she appeared on the third series of the Channel 4 reality show '' Big Brother''. She went on to s ...
during her cancer battle, and met her a number of times, even though they featured in separate series of ''Big Brother''. Nolan, who was previously a sister in Dublin's Loreto Order, today considers herself an
atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
. On 10 January 2010, she hosted a special one-off programme for
RTÉ One RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís à ...
television entitled ''O Sister Where Art Thou?'' during which she attempted to track down and interview women with whom she had shared noviciate life in the order. At the end of the programme, while in conversation with a fellow former novice, she said: "I don't believe in God. I don't think there's a Heaven or Hell. I believe in the human spirit. I think we all make choices. I think we all have fears and for some people, when they get the fears or worries, they turn to a higher power. I just kind of deal with it. And when I go, that's it; I'm gone into the ground and 'goodbye world'. Which isn't depressing; some people might find it depressing. And I might be wrong and that's the good thing because if I'm wrong I'll get into heaven(!)".O Sister, Where Art Thou?
/ref>


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nolan, Anna 1970 births 20th-century Irish nuns 21st-century Irish people Living people Big Brother (British TV series) contestants The Herald (Ireland) people Former Roman Catholics Former Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns Irish former Christians Irish atheists Irish women's basketball players Irish columnists Irish television journalists Irish television personalities Irish television producers Lesbian entertainers LGBT broadcasters from Ireland LGBT entertainers from Ireland LGBT producers RTÉ Radio 1 presenters RTÉ television presenters COCO Television Irish women television producers Women television journalists Irish women columnists Lesbian sportswomen LGBT sportspeople from Ireland LGBT basketball players 21st-century LGBT people