Maureen Nolan can more than relate to Mrs Johnstone, the character that she plays in Willy Russell’s legendary musical Blood Brothers, which comes to the Watford Colosseum this month.

“She’s fabulous, I love her,“ says the 59-year-old former member of The Nolans. “I feel almost a kinship to her. We grew up in a council estate in Dublin, we had no money and there were seven of us – Coleen was born later, in Blackpool.

“My mum, Maureen, was very much Mrs Johnstone-esque – she was all about her children, she always worked, she was a singer too. And her bark was worse than her bite. She’d be all lovey-dovey one minute and the next it’d be ‘Get over here now!’“ she laughs. “So I feel very at home in this part.

“Mrs Johnstone is funny and feisty, strong and maternal, and I get to sing great, haunting songs. There’s no better part, I don’t think.“

Maureen is the fourth of her sisters to have played Mrs Johnstone – Bernie, Denise and Linda have all played the role before her.

“I saw the show 18 times before I was in it,“ Maureen laughs, “six of those with Bernie in it and then six with Linda. I became the show’s official stalker!

“In my great, non-acting experience at the time, I was quite bad for telling them what they should and shouldn’t have done in the role! But they’re very good with me now, and hold back.“

Relations among the famous sisters – Anne, Denise, Maureen, Linda and Bernadette – and their brothers, Tommy and Brian, have famously been up and down over the years.

After disbanding in 2005 to pursue solo careers, The Nolans reformed in 2009 for a UK and Ireland tour, but Anne and Denise were not involved. This sparked a split in the family, with Anne saying in the press that she had been excluded and that the others were ‘not her sisters anymore’, with Denise supporting her. Bernie and Maureen made amends with Anne and Denise, but it wasn’t until the family were gathered around Bernie’s deathbed last year that all the sisters, including Coleen, were fully reconciled.

Now most of the family members are planning a holiday together in Florida, when the Blood Brothers tour takes a break for the summer.

“We’ll start the show up again in August or September,“ says Maureen. “It’s a lovely cast, the audiences have been great and we’ve had some good reviews. You can’t ask for more, really.“