Jane McDonald says her performances are therapy after death of fiancé

04 May 2024 , 18:42

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Jane, 61, whose fiance Eddie Rothe died in 2021, said she seeks solace in her live work (Image: Getty Images)

Cruise ship queen Jane McDonald reckons her shows make waves – and are more beneficial than NHS treatment.

The singer says her performances are like therapy, both for herself and for audience. Jane, 61, whose fiance Eddie Rothe died in 2021, said she seeks solace in her live work. The Loose Women favourite said: “It’s like a big wheel of energy. I start it on the stage then it goes out into the crowd and comes back in a wave of the most amazing love I could ever imagine. It’s the most wonderful thing – and it goes back out to them. So many people say to me, ‘That’s better than the National Health’, because they feel better.”

Jane McDonald and friends Platinum Jubilee concert at Scarborough Open Air Theatre (Peter Harbour)

In 2008, Jane rekindled her relationship with Eddie, a musician in The Searchers, who she had started dating nearly 30 years earlier. Eddie had asked Jane to marry him on Christmas Eve 2020 but died the following March after battling lung cancer. He was 67. This week Yorkshire-born Jane spoke about her upcoming tour.

She said: “There are emotional times in this show. There are going to be four moments in the concerts that you’re going to think, ‘Get your tissues out’. But it is good to have a cry and then have a good laugh and a dance and that’s it. It is like therapy, isn’t it? And that’s just for me.”

Jane Mcdonald revealed caring for cancer-stricken partner Eddie in his final days

Jane, who found fame on 90s show The Cruise, plans to open her heart about losing her beloved Eddie. She said: “The older I’ve got and been through certain things in my life, everybody goes through the same. I think this is a different me you’ll see this time, and I’m really looking forward to it, because I do sit there and I do talk to everyone and it is very personal and I know them. I know so many of my fans really well, so it’s just me having a chat and trying to make people feel better. That’s my job. If I can, then that’s my job done.”

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• Jane’s tour, With All My Love, kicks off in Blackpool in October

Janine Yaqoob