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All you need to know about Jane McDonald: career, love life and more

The star has been a TV favourite for a number of years

jane mcdonald new show
Francesca Shillcock
Senior Features Writer
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If you enjoy watching Jane McDonald sail the seas on her popular Channel 5 programme, Cruising With Jane McDonald, then you're in luck, as the singer is back with another show, My Yorkshire. 

MORE: Jane McDonald reveals why she's never had children

The programme sees the singer and presenter leave the sea and head to land to explore her hometown and surrounding areas. There's no doubt Jane is one of the most recognisable faces on TV, but if you're wanting to know more about the presenter, including her successful career and love life, look no further. Here's what we know…

WATCH: Jane McDonald becomes emotional after returning to Loose Women following death of fiancé

Jane McDonald's career

Jane is a presenter, actress and singer who has been in the showbiz world for over twenty years. The 57-year-old began her professional career in the late nineties working as a guest presenter for BBC's National Lottery.

Jane then came to prominence after appearing on BBC's The Cruise documenting her life as cruise ship entertainer. Around the same time, she signed a major record label and released her first album which reached number one in the charts.

More recently, Jane has appeared regular on a number of TV shows. From 2004 until 2015, she regularly appeared as a panellist on ITV's Loose Women. She also featured on Star Treatment, Jane & Friends and Cruising with Jane McDonald, which won her a BAFTA Award in 2018.

MORE: Loose Women's Jane McDonald reveals husband left her to save her career

MORE: Inside Ugly House to Lovely House presenter George Clarke's home life

jane mcdonald throwback

Jane McDonald in her early career

Jane McDonald's love life

Jane met her first husband, Henrik, while she was filming the BBC show The Cruise, with Henrik working as a plumber on board the ship at the time.

The pair went on to marry in 1998, with their wedding featured in the fly-on-the-wall series. Henrik subsequently took over managing Jane's blossoming career – but after four years, decided to call time on the marriage amid concerns he would prevent Jane from being successful.

jane mcdonald and eddie© Photo: Getty Images

Jane with her late partner, Eddie

After their split, Jane told the Mirror: "Henrik tried his very, very best and he was brilliant at what he did, but he didn't know the industry. We'd come to a point where Henrik had made quite a few enemies and he said, 'If I don't leave you, you are never going to have a career.'"

Jane found love again with Eddie Rothe, her childhood boyfriend and former drummer with the 1960s band The Searchers. The couple, who dated for six months in the 1980s, reconnected in 2008 after a chance meeting at the ITV studios. But in April 2021, it was confirmed that Eddie had very sadly passed away aged 68. 

The Twitter post read: "It is with immense sadness that we share the news that Jane’s beloved life partner, Ed, passed away on Friday 26th March. He had been battling lung cancer for the last few months. We would like to thank everyone for all their help and support during this very difficult time, especially the NHS staff and the wonderful team at The Wakefield Hospice."

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