Former Loose Women panellist Jane McDonald has opened up about the loss of her fiance Eddie Rothe and the decision to quit her £1 million home in Yorkshire after his death
Jane McDonald has opened up about a heartbreaking diagnosis(Image: BBC)
Jane McDonald says she would “give everything up” as she opens up about a heartbreaking diagnosis. The former Loose Women panelist announced the death of her fiancé Eddie Rothe in 2017.
Eddie, best known for being the drummer in Liquid Gold and later The Searchers, was diagnosed with lung cancer before his death. Jane says he started off with a “persistent cough” which led to the diagnosis.
Jane, a singer and TV presenter, became Eddie’s full-time carer towards the end of his life. Eddie and Jane first dated as teenagers in Wakefield, Yorkshire, before breaking-off their romance.
However they rekindled their love 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.
In her 2024 self-help book, Jane revealed she has been diagnosed with PTSD since Eddie’s death and has moved out of their bungalow in Wakefield. 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.”
In her 2019 autobiography, Riding The Waves: My Story, Jane recalled the moment Eddie popped the question. She wrote: “Suddenly, Ed cleared his throat and put his hand in his pocket. ‘Jane, you are definitely the one for me, and I should have done this 26 years ago,’ he said. ‘Will you marry me?’
“I was so overwhelmed that I started crying. Then Ed started crying! People around us were mortified – thinking we’d split up’.”
The TV star opened up about her decision to sell the £1m bungalow, which she also shared with her late mother Jean, earlier this year. Speaking to the Mail Online, she said: “I found it difficult. There was too much history there.”
Having purchased a seaside property in the area, she added: “We all need peace in our lives and I’ve got that now.”
However the move, which saw Jane living with close friend Sue Ravey, wasn’t entirely straightforward. Jane found herself having to sort through two decades of possessions – many tied to deeply distressing recollections.
Jane explained: “You’d be surprised at how much stuff you have. Seven skips later! I was ashamed of myself. You’ve got to let it all go. But Sue is great. She’ll ask me: ‘Why you holding onto this?’ Take a picture of it and bin it.”
Jane rose to fame after appearing on the series The Cruise in 1998. She was subsequently signed on a record deal and landed a number one with her self-titled album in the same year.
She was a panellist on Loose Women from 2004 to 2013. She returns to screens from 9pm on Channel 5 with Jane McDonald in Nashville, a two-part look at Tennessee in the United States.
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