Exclusive: Jane McDonald reflects on ‘rebuilding’ her life after loss of late fiancé Eddie

Jane McDonald was dealt personal heartbreak in 2021 when the singer tragically lost her fiancé, Eddie Rothe, after he passed away from cancer.

Eddie’s death had a massive impact on her life, with Jane previously admitting that she likely would have retired from the limelight if he were still alive. Speaking to HELLO! as she launched her book, Let the Light In, Jane reflected on the loss of Eddie and what she has learnt since his passing.

“It’s the biggest shock ever because your life completely changes,” the 61-year-old Loose Women star told us. “You have to rebuild and I was very grateful that I had another life besides Ed. My career was still going on and my friends were there.”

Reflecting on the lessons she’s taken from it, Jane admitted: “I’ve learnt nothing really, there’s no way of dealing with it. You just have to rebuild [your life] in the best way you can. For me, that’s going out and seeing my fans again and saying to those who have gone through the same as me, I know what you’re feeling.”

Jane has also faced other challenges during her life and contemplating her main lessons, she explained: “By heck, I’ve learned resilience. I have no idea where the fight came from, and the resilience and the, ‘How hard can this be? How hard can this be to do what I want to do?’ 

“But loads of doors were being slammed in my face every two minutes. With me being a cruise ship singer and an ex-cabaret singer, it felt like I was not welcome in this world. But because I’ve done it, started the back way and come in, and everyone’s like, ‘Oh no, we can’t have a cruise ship singer at this level’. And I just thought, ‘I’m staying so get used to it.’“

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She continued: “I didn’t enjoy going back and revisiting those hard times again, because you think, ‘Oh, God, I’m gonna go through all this again’. I’m one not to go back, I’m someone that’s like, ‘Right where am I going next?’

“It’s not an easy business, it’s a shocking business, but you’ve got to remember why you do it. Remember why you go on a stage, why you put yourself up there to be knocked down.”