Mcdonald ‘owes such a lot’ to her late friend Bellingham
SINGER and travel presenter Jane Mcdonald has said she thinks her late friend, TV star Lynda Bellingham, is still “guiding us all in our own ways”.
Mcdonald, 61, who is best known for her TV series Cruising With Jane Mcdonald as well as her long stint on Loose Women, has spoken about their friendship and said she “owes such a lot” to Bellingham.
Actress and broadcaster Bellingham died in October 2014 aged 66 and was famously known for her long-running role as the mother in the Oxo TV adverts.
She had been battling colon cancer, which later spread to her lungs and liver.
Speaking on Kate Thornton’s White Wine Question Time podcast, Mcdonald said: “I owe such a lot to Lynda because she asked me to take over her Birmingham panto for that year when she was poorly. Thank goodness I did because through that I got Cats, then through Cats and getting the vocal training that I did, that’s when my voice changed, and I went on to be able to sing just about anything – that’s all through Lynda. So I still think Lynda’s guiding us all in our own ways.”
The pair became good friends while appearing on Loose Women.
Mcdonald also spoke about her long-term partner Eddie Rothe, who died aged 67 in 2021 after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
She said: “I’ll always be grateful to Lynda for guiding me a little bit because she was the first person that interviewed Ed for the job as my boyfriend. She said, ‘I need to see this guy’, and the first thing she said to him was, ‘What are your intentions to my friend?’”
Starting in October this year Mcdonald will be embarking on her With All My Love 2024 Tour.