COVER Jane McDonald
With a new series currently on TV, and an autobiography flying off the shelves, life is good for Jane McDonald – but learning to cope with tough times has helped her
Her trademark down-toearthness and easy-going manner have won Jane McDonald legions of fans. Whether it be the millions of viewers who tune in for her BAFTA award-winning Channel 5 travel shows or the many fans who’ve bought her recently released autobiography Riding The Waves, she is riding high. Then there’s also a singing tour starting in June. “It has been wonderful in so many ways,” she says.
But, and it’s a big but, there is one very special person missing from her life – her beloved mum, Jean, who passed away towards the end of 2018.
“It’s been my first year without my mother and it’s been tough,” she writes in Riding the Waves. “I haven’t got used to her absence. I miss her so much and will never stop missing her. I wear her wedding ring on my wedding finger – that’s how much she meant to me.”
However, Jane derives solace from the fact that she’s living the life she knows her mum wanted for her. Her sister-in-law, Wendy, confirmed this to her shortly before Jean died.
“There is comfort in knowing this,” says Jane. “I like to think that she’s
■ enjoying watching me having the time of my life. Because apart from losing Mum, things have never been better.”
This maybe has something to do with Jane’s ‘glass-half-full’ outlook. She’s a firm believer in the philosophy that when things are at their lowest, the only way is up. “It’s important to think about what you’ve got, not what you’ve lost,” she says.
She’s also a fan of self-help books. “I love them! I’ve read a lot of those along the way, and they have helped me through some difficult times. Reading one can just give you a little nudge to get you back on the right path. It’s best to shut negativity out. Fortunately, I’ve had a lot of guidance along the way. Some wonderful people have come into my life.”
One such wonderful person is Jane’s partner, musician Ed Rothe. They met as teenagers – ‘the barmaid from Wakefield and the drummer from Liquid Gold’ – and rekindled their romance in 2009.
In Riding the Waves Jane says: “‘Ed is more than my rock, he’s my best friend and ally,” she explains. She has gone on to say that the absences due to her career make their hearts grow fonder and that distance enhances their relationship.
Speaking recently she said: “I think Ed quite likes the fact that I’m not there – that he can eat what he wants, watch telly when he wants, get up when he wants... He then likes it when I come back. It’s a bit like a courtship, like ‘Oooh, she’s back – the girlfriend’s here’. And then I go away again and everything is wonderful.”
Ed doesn’t go away with Jane for her many TV adventures because it’s her work. “If I worked at a supermarket checkout I wouldn’t expect him to stand next to me. He’s happy for me to go off and do things but I do make special time for him. I think you have to do that when you are away as much as I am.”
Jane (57) has much to look forward to in 2020. There is her Let the Light In nationwide tour which starts in June, and then, in September, a special Jane McDonald cruise.
“I’m taking over the incredible Royal Caribbean, Anthem of the Seas, for a whole week!” she enthuses. ”We’ll be setting sail on Sunday, September 20
from Southampton and visiting Cherbourg, Vigo and Lisbon. It’s very ambitious but I always think if you do something big, go big. I’ve been in talks to do this cruise for 20-odd years – even from the first cruise – because there was a massive following from there. And then when it came up again, I thought it’s now we need to do it. A lot of my fans won’t want to fly, so let’s try the Southampton to Southampton
‘It’s important to think about what you’ve got, not what you’ve lost’
and it all just came together. The stars aligned. I’m very grateful to be in this position and I’m very grateful for my amazing fans. They are unbelievably loyal. I’ve got a lot who’ve followed me from the beginning and I’ve seen them go through a lot – as they have me.”
■ Holidaying with Jane McDonald & Friends is on Channel 5 on Fridays at 9pm
■ Riding the Waves, My Story by Jane McDonald is out now, rrp £20, published by Penguin Random House
■ Details of Jane’s Let the Light In tour, with a new line-up of songs, are on www.jane-mcdonald.com where there’s also information on the Royal Caribbean, Anthem of the Seas cruise