Former Loose Women star Jane McDonald believes her late mum is giving her a career boost from beyond the grave.
The singer and popular host of Channel 5’s Cruising shows was devastated when she lost beloved Jean in 2018 but kept working – and ever since her career has gone from strength to strength.
Last year, the 61-year-old was hired to replace Phillip Schofield as the British Soap Awards host. Jane says: “Just because someone is gone, it doesn’t mean they aren’t there. I think my mum has something to do with the jobs I’m doing.
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“People you’ve lost are still with you. They never leave – that’s what I believe.”
(Image: ITV)
As well as joining the cast of Celebrity Gogglebox, Jane was invited to be a special guest on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and fronted more travel shows. Now she’s landed a big-money deal to star in panto at the iconic London Palladium.
And Jane still feels her mum’s spirit around her more than five years after her death. She says: “When you lose someone, they’ll always be in your heart. The love never dies.”
After coming to terms with losing her mum, Jane was hit by further grief when her partner Eddie Rothe died from lung cancer in 2021. But she is adamant he is also still with her in spirit, adding: “You still have all their thoughts, everything that they taught you.
(Image: Getty Images)
“They will always be with me. That’s how I get through every day.” In a bid to keep her mum’s memory alive, Jane is planning a special moment on her upcoming With All My Love tour, which kicks off on October 11 in Blackpool.
The singer found fame in 1998. After appearing in BBC One’s The Cruise, Jane went from sea entertainer to household favourite. She penned the 2001 track The Hand That Leads Me for her mum. Jane says: “I’m going to be singing the song for my mother.
“I’ll be on the piano and it’ll be just me. That is going to be quite a teary moment for me – and some people in the audience. There will be tears – it’ll be like therapy, but also uplifting.
(Image: Getty Images)
“The tour will be filled with disco, some Cher and my own songs.” And when it wraps in November, Jane will start getting ready for her big-budget panto stint in Robin Hood, which opens on December 7.
She will play Maid Marion in a cast that also includes comic Julian Clary, actor Nigel Havers and Celebrity Big Brother’s Marisha Wallace. “If I don’t do it now, I never will,” says Jane. “I’m going to have a good laugh. People need to laugh. And if me being on stage with Julian being filthy will make people laugh, then that’s great.
“I’ve lived a long time – I’ve heard everything!” With all this happening, Jane won’t be returning to ITV daytime telly any time soon.
She says: “I had a great time on Loose Women. That time I had on the show was a special era. But I haven’t got time to go back. Once you find your purpose, you are on the right track.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
