Former Loose Women panellist Jane McDonald has opened up about the loss of her fiance Eddie Rothe and how she almost decided to retire, calling her career a ‘blessing’ from her partner
Jane McDonald admits “it’s awful” as she opened up about a daily struggle. The former Loose Women panellist announced the death of her fiancé Eddie Rothe in 2017.
Eddie was known to many as the drummer with bands such as Liquid Gold and The Searchers. But shortly before his death he was diagnosed with lung cancer after developing a “persistent cough”.
Jane, a singer and TV presenter, became Eddie’s full-time carer towards the end of his life. The pair had originally struck up a relationship as teenagers before drifting apart.
However they rekindled their romance almost three decades later after a chance encounter on This Morning. They announced their engagement in 2008, with Jane praising Eddie for helping her with her career.
Now, nine years after his death, Jane has opened up about missing Eddie. Speaking to Heat magazine, she said: “There’s not a day that goes by when I don’t think of Eddie – it’s awful. I’m not going to butter it up in any way.
“Grief stays with you, but what you have to do is sit it beside joy. You have to bring as much joy into your life as humanly possible, so that you feel more happiness than grief.
“I’m just about level now. Every day, I do a mantra and say, ‘Right, you can go two ways here – you can either go down that route, or you can go that route.’”
Jane says she finds it important to “pick the positive” route. She believes this mindset has helped drive her career.
The 63-year-old admits she was planning on retiring, but has instead found herself scoring a top 10 album recently with Living The Dream and still making appearances on television.
The album was Jane’s first to hit the top 10 as an independent recording artist. Speaking to the Official Chart Company, she said: “It’s almost 30 years since I released my first Number 1 album, so to be enjoying this success now is beyond my wildest dreams.”
Jane believes her continued success is a “gift from Eddie”. Elsewhere, the TV presenter recently discussed being diagnosed with PTSD after Eddie’s death.
Speaking to the Guardian , she said: “If I could bring back Ed, I would give everything up and have him back.
“My life has just gone: boom! That is a gift from him. So why wouldn’t I celebrate him? And not be sad. I don’t want to be sad about Ed. He was a wonderful, beautiful soul.”
Jane however says she feels “blessed” to have been able to spend as much time with Eddie as she did. She added: “I feel like he’s with me all the time. And now, with the songs, he will be.”
The former Star Treatment presenter will return to Channel 5 this evening with Jane McDonald in Nashville. The second in a two-part series, it will see Jane exploring Tennessee as she shares a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the making of her album.
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