Singing legend Jane McDonald says she has no intention of giving up on life — or on love — even though she is still carrying the weight of heartbreaking grief four years after losing her fiancé, Eddie “Ed” Rothe.
Speaking exclusively to the Mirror and OK! Magazine, the 62-year-old star admits that a part of her will never fully understand or accept the loss of her partner. But she isn’t shutting the door on romance. She says she’ll “never say never” because “you don’t know what’s around the corner.” She adds that if love doesn’t come again, she’s still content because she was “blessed” to have had Ed in her life and now has a circle of friends who bring her joy.
Jane first dated Ed — the drummer of Liverpool rock band The Searchers — as a teenager. They rekindled their romance in 2008, only for their love story to be cut short when Ed died in 2021 after a battle with lung cancer.
She admits she copes with the “awful” grief simply by filling her life with joy wherever she can. She says there’s no such thing as “dealing with it,” and that the pain remains with her every single day. But she actively chooses happiness because, in her words, Ed would be “mortified” if she stayed home feeling miserable. She still talks to him daily and feels his presence: “Every day, I feel like you’re there.”
Jane believes wholeheartedly that loved ones’ spirits live on, and that belief gives her comfort to keep moving forward.
One of the brightest sources of joy in her life is her long-time friend Sue Ravey, who has lived with her in Wakefield and joined her on Celebrity Gogglebox and her travel series. Jane says she agreed to do Gogglebox only on the condition that Sue could join her: “She’s a good egg, she tells it how it is, and she makes me laugh.”
Jane has also found herself embraced as an LGBTQ+ icon in recent years, something she finds both surprising and deeply touching. She says she’s “not judgmental in any shape or form” and just wants everyone to “come and have a good time.” Next year she’ll headline the Gay Icon slot at Mighty Hoopla for her first-ever festival performance.
Her career continues to evolve, from her viral TikTok moment singing Cake By The Ocean, to recording her 11th studio album Living The Dream in Nashville — now being turned into a two-part Channel 5 documentary for 2026.
Among the most emotional tracks on the album is Beautiful Soul, a song she wrote for the first time directly about Ed. She admits she doesn’t know how she’ll get through performing it live: “It’s about him not being here anymore… he outshines the stars.”
Her 2026 tour will mix new songs with fan favourites, including her beloved Disco Medley. She says the show will be emotional but ultimately filled with joy.
Between touring, recording, and cruising — with a second “Cruise With Jane McDonald” already scheduled for next year — Jane jokes she no longer has time for anything else. A return to Loose Women is off the table, although she treasures the memories: “We were like Sex and the City back then!”
With more projects already lined up, she hints that 2026 will be her busiest year yet: “I can’t say any more… but watch this space!”
