‘If I knew the secret to my appeal, I’d bottle it & sell it’
Singer, presenter and cruise ship legend Jane Mcdonald opens up about finding love, what keeps her grounded and her favourite place in the world!
Jane Mcdonald on having hard days and being true to herself
Jane, 56, lives in Wakefield with her partner of 12 years, Ed Rothe, and spends up to six months of the year at sea.
LIVING MY DREAM
Never in a million years did I dream that I’d be where I am now. I thought I’d be back singing on the ships within the first 10 months after The Cruise
[the TV reality show that first introduced us to Jane in the late 1990s]. All those years ago, a person like me never would have made it: I was a cruise ship singer who worked the clubs. But it was something that I loved doing, so I’m glad that I never wavered. I think it’s very easy in this industry to just go with what everybody tells you to be, but I never did as I can be quite stubborn!
I must have a funny bone. I see the funny side of almost everything and, if that makes people smile, then that’s great. I don’t have a script on stage or when I’m filming Cruising With Jane
Mcdonald. Most people in this business don’t work that way, but it works for me. My job is to bring a smile to people’s faces. So when I do, that brings me joy. Often, in my concerts, I’ll say, ‘Just open up a little bit. If you’re under the weather, enjoy this energy in here tonight.’ When I come on stage and the band is playing, the atmosphere is so electric. Then this energy starts in the room; I can feel it coming to me, and then I bounce it right back. People often comment about how much better they feel when they’ve been to one of my concerts, which is lovely to hear. I think it’s my job to make people have a good time; it’s escapism. I’ve found that when there’s tragedy in the world, people need escapism even more.
We all have difficult days. You’re allowed to be sad sometimes and you’re allowed to have a bad day. Sometimes, you need those to be able to bounce back. Last year, I had all this amazing success going on in the background, but it was the worst time in my life; nothing hits you like losing your mum and I’ll never feel that bad again. I think that’s what’s keeping me going, the fact that everybody has tragedy in their lives, and that you can have those bad days, too.
LOVING MY WORK
I am never going to complain about what I do, because I love it.
It is a joy and I hope that really does come across in everything that I do. It has taken me a long time to get here and I am going to relish every single minute of it.
My working class ethics have kept me grounded over the years. I was always someone who wanted to pay my mortgage off. I’ll be honest, I have only just managed it this year, but it is the most wonderful thing when you get to that stage. I think that drives you forward.
If I knew the secret to my appeal, I would bottle it and sell it! I think it is about being true to yourself. My motto in life is: ‘Whether your glass is half full or half empty, it just needs refilling.’ Maybe that is the secret.
TRAVELLING THE GLOBE
I’ve been all over the world, but Scotland is my favourite destination. It has Caribbean-looking beaches, with the white sand and the blue sea, and there’s so much history there. The warmth that you get from the people there is fantastic, too. When we go up to Scotland on tour, we actually feel the excitement as we cross the border in the tour bus. It’s probably to do with my roots, as my family is Scottish.
It’s been three years since I had a proper break. I only spoke to my other half yesterday and he’s going, ‘Any chance we could get away for a few days?’ I’m going to try to get time off next May and take him somewhere he wants to go to, because he puts up with an awful lot!
The travel bug is something I’ll always have. Wherever I lay my hat, that’s my home, and that’s part of being a musician as well. So as long as I can travel, I will travel, but it would be nice to travel a little bit more with Ed.
AHOY THERE!
Without a doubt, my favourite kind of holiday is cruising. The people are just wonderful, because you’re all like-minded. You’ve all picked that destination to go and visit, and chosen the amazing sights that you’re going to see together. I met some of my closest friends when I was cruising, and you tend to find that people make lifelong friends when they’ve been on a cruise with them.
In the early days, cruising was for the rich. It was the holiday that you saved up for all your life. Nowadays, cruising is more accessible. There’s a cruise for everyone. I get so many calls from friends asking for advice on which one to pick. I ask them what sort of holiday they want and I can usually choose the perfect cruise for them.
I get a buzz every single time I walk on a cruise ship. I like the little things, such as getting in my cabin and hanging my clothes up, so I can see where everything is and make that my little home for the week, or however long I’m on there for. I get genuinely excited, and I think you can see that. You’d see through me if I wasn’t.
When I’m on a cruise, I don’t tend to have every meal on board, otherwise they’d be hoisting me off with a crane! When you’re on your holidays, I think you should just eat and drink anything that you want, but for me, it’s my job, so I can’t do that all the time.
I met my ex-husband, Henrik [Brixen], on a cruise and I have such wonderful memories of him. Ships are great for love stories. Meeting him and being away in the Caribbean and America was a fairy-tale romance. But sometimes, life just doesn’t turn out how you imagine. It was horrible when we split up, but we split up as friends and I think that’s a blessing for any couple. Of course, I have Ed now, who I could never imagine being without. So it all works out, doesn’t it? I think that if you let things go with a good heart, good things will come back.
BACK ON DRY LAND
Yorkshire will always be home. I’ve lived in different places, but Wakefield is my safe place. It’s somewhere I can just exhale. I walk through the door and think I don’t have to do my hair and put make-up on now. Poor Ed! I feel sorry for him really, because he sees me at my worst. Bless his soul. He’s a very understanding man!
You would never have got a job in television with an accent like mine 30 or 40 years ago. Thankfully, things have changed and I’m very grateful for that. I don’t think I’ll ever lose it. There’s something quite comforting about an accent.
I’m a natural chatterer. I have so many people come up to me in the supermarket and I’ll have a chat with them. Ed doesn’t take me shopping that often. He says, ‘I’d like to be home within the day’, because I am terrible, I talk to everybody.
IN FINE VOICE
When I’m singing, the only thing that affects my throat is tiredness. I can sing through colds and flu. I learned very early on how to sing properly, and so I can still go out and belt out songs because I do a proper warm-up.
I love singing a crowd-pleaser. I always know that You’re My World is instantly going to bring the house down, because a lot of people come to my shows to hear that very song. It was on my number one album 20 years ago, so people are waiting for that, and the song Doctor’s Orders. You have to think about what is going to make the audience happy, or sad. I’m also someone that gives permission to have a really good cry, if you want. I’ve seen grown men and big burly blokes sobbing. And then, in the next minute, we’re all up there having a disco. It’s very therapeutic coming to one of my concerts.
MY PATH TO TRUE LOVE
My other half, Ed, was my childhood sweetheart. We had those sliding doors moments for years. We were in the same places, but we just never met. Ed was in the 1960s band The Searchers. They were appearing on This Morning to promote their new album at the same time I was getting my make-up done for an appearance on Loose Women. I thought, ‘Blimey! I used to go out with him.’ I went across to say hello and it was as if we had never parted. He picked me up and swung me around. Thankfully, he was recently divorced, so the timing was perfect. Ed is just lovely. I’m very blessed. I’ve had a few mishaps relationship-wise, but by God, when you find the right one, you certainly know it. I’ve been with Ed for 12 years. That’s a miracle for me! He makes me feel like a teenager again. He’s still gorgeous, and I can see what I went for all those years ago. He’s just lovely and he’s kind, and he has qualities now that are very important to me. I’m very lucky to have them all in such a good-looking package!
We make each other laugh all the time. I think that’s essential in a relationship. You have to like the person, not just love them, and I think I’ve cracked it this time.
I spend about six months of the year away working, so it’s lovely when I come home. Ed always says it’s so quiet when I’m not there. We do everything together, and we have one of those kitchens where I can sit at the breakfast bar and watch him create such gorgeous meals. We love a catch-up TV series, such as Line Of Duty, and we’ll be up till 3am watching that. When I’m away, I can watch all the stuff that he wouldn’t really get, such as Grace And Frankie, so we have it right. He can watch what he wants and eat his fish finger sandwiches, and I can do what I want. Then we join up together and it works really well.
‘I’ve been with Ed for 12 years. That’s a miracle for me!’
We will definitely get married at some point – it’s just when. I don’t have enough time! But then again, I always think, it is so good as it is. I don’t think it is the be all and end all, it’s not as if we have to get married for children and things like that. We are just enjoying life as it is.
Ed and I Skype when I’m away, although I usually look rough because I have just taken off my make-up after filming all day. I am up at the crack of dawn and they are long hours that we do. We talk all the time, some days more than others. He understands that if he can’t get hold of me, there’s a reason why.
WELL-EARNED REST
I’m a workaholic, so I love that Ed encourages me to have a duvet day every now and then. He’ll say, ‘Just stop where you are. Get a rest.’ Even when I stay in bed, I’m working, doing emails and paying invoices. I’m not good at downtime because there is just so much to do. Every new year, I say that I am going to get my work/life balance right, and I never do. But I enjoy my work and it is my hobby as well, so that makes a huge difference.
Dressing down or leaving the house without make-up isn’t for me. If I’m out, then I’m out. That’s my mother in me. I have her in my head going, ‘You’re not going out like that!’
I’d love to do Strictly, just for the sequins alone. And for the fitness! But it’s always when I’m on tour and at my busiest, so I’ve never been able to fit it in. I love to watch it. I record it all and then binge-watch.
I don’t work out. That’s terrible, isn’t it? But I follow a very strict diet when I’m at home. I never touch alcohol and I stick to a sugar-free diet. I’m also very lucky that I have an amazing cook at home called Ed. He’s as healthy as I am when I’m at home, but we’re terrible when we’re apart!
MY AWARD TRIUMPH
Winning the BAFTA for Cruising was the most wonderful thing. I keep it next to my telly. I love it! I’ve never gone into a job thinking about awards, but when you actually get something given to you for what you’re doing, it’s thrilling.
I went to the ceremony to show off Ed. Most people think I’ve made him up because no one ever sees him. I almost didn’t go to the ceremony, as I had to be in Manchester at 8am the next morning to film Jane Mcdonald & Friends. Then Ed said he’d come with me. It was a great night. I was upset that I had to leave early. Perhaps it’s a good thing, because it would have been carnage!
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
Writing my new book has been the most cathartic thing I’ve ever done.
It was quite hard for me to write. I come across as a bubbly person, but there’s a lot of tragedy that’s happened along the way.
I’m one of these people who tries to get on with it.
I’m surprised that I have so much resilience. I think, if you do something with a sense of humour, it’s a lot easier than shouting. But it’s taken me a long time to learn that.
I’m at that age now where I seem to have it just right. It’s taken me a bit longer than most to get there. I absolutely love my job, love travel, love cruising, love singing and, of course, I love my partner! So I’ve finally cracked it.
• For details of Jane’s Christmas arena concerts in Birmingham and Leeds and her own cruise, Sail Away With Jane Mcdonald, visit jane-mcdonald.com. Jane’s autobiography, Riding The Waves: My Story (Virgin Books), is out on 31 October.