eleb interview
Jane McDonald on staying positive, Strictly, and her ‘terrifying’ new challenge
Jane McDonald is a continual ray of sunshine. Despite a tough few years, she is still smiling and spreading positivity wherever she goes. In 2018, the former cruise ship singer sadly lost her mum and “best friend”, Jean, who she lived with for the majority of her adult life.
Three years later, she was dealt another tragic blow when her soulmate and beloved fiancé, Eddie Rothe, passed away from lung cancer. Jane first met Eddie, who was the drummer in The Searchers, in a club in Wakefield in 1980 and the pair embarked on a romance when she was 17, but they split after a few months of dating. The couple didn’t see each other again until 2008, when they bumped into each other at ITV, and quickly rekindled their relationship, with Eddie proposing the same year.
Eddie and Jane, 60, had been planning to escape the limelight and spend their retirement travelling, so she has been forced to revaluate what life will look like entering her next decade. Part of her new plan is her 24- date UK tour, With All My Love, which kicks off in October. Here, the former Loose Women panellist – who now lives with her friend Sue Ravey – opens up on grief, love and whether she’ll be dancing on Strictly…
Have you always been a positive person, or is that something you’ve cultivated?
I do work at it. I give myself a good talking to. I think that’s my mother coming out and saying, “You’ve got everything going for you. Why are you feeling so down?’’ And I think once you find out, you can deal with it.
Has grieving allowed you to notice love coming from other areas?
When you lose your partner, the last thing you want usually is another one, because nobody can replace that. But you’ve got all this love, and all this affection that you need to give back to yourself because it’s such a dreadful thing you’ve been through. I had a group of girlfriends that came in and swooped me up and loved me, and I love them so much for that. I laugh with my mates, which I didn’t get much chance to do. When you go through a tragedy, try and let go of that guilt and chase as much joy as you can possibly find. I’m doing it with all my might.
How do you view love?
Love can be a dog, it can be a cat. It can be grandkids, it can be children. Love comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes. And it’s there. Just take it, because we deserve love. All of us, no matter who you are or what you are. We all deserve some love in our lives.
Has music also helped you process your grief?
Music can sort your mood out, no matter what mood you’re in. I tend to listen to uplifting music, like disco – something that makes you ha
