External links
- Official website
- Profile at ITV.com
- Jane McDonald discography at Discogs
- Jane McDonald at AllMusic
| International | |
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| National | |
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Jane McDonald | |
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| Born | 4 April 1963 Wakefield, England |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1998–present |
| Spouse | Henrik Brixen (m. 1998;div. 2003) |
| Partner(s) | Eddie Rothe (2008–2021; his death) |
| Website | jane-mcdonald |
Jane Ann McDonald (born 4 April 1963) is an English singer, songwriter, and television presenter. She first became known following her appearance on the BBC One show The Cruise in 1998. Later that year, her eponymous debut studio album topped the UK Albums Chart for three weeks.
McDonald has had four UK top 10 albums and has performed at venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, London Palladium, and MGM Grand Las Vegas. She has also hosted or co-hosted daytime television shows including Loose Women and Star Treatment . Her travel show Cruising with Jane McDonald won a British Academy Television Award. She has also presented the travel shows Jane & Friends, Holidaying with Jane McDonald, Jane McDonald: My Yorkshire, and Jane McDonald: Lost in Japan.
Jane Ann McDonald was born in Wakefield [1] on 4 April 1963. [2] She spent most of her life living with her mother, Jean, whom she regarded as her best friend; they shared a bungalow in Wakefield [3] until Jean's death when McDonald was 45 years old. [4] [5] [6]
After appearing on the series The Cruise in 1998, [7] McDonald was signed by independent record label Focus Music International [8] to make a covers album and a Christmas single. [9] Her self-titled debut album spent three weeks at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart, while the single "Cruise into Christmas" (a medley of Christmas classics) reached the top 10 of the UK singles chart. [10] She then signed a recording contract with Universal Music TV, [11] [12] guest hosted the National Lottery, and appeared on Star for a Night .
Beginning in 2004, McDonald was a regular presenter on the daytime television show Loose Women . It was confirmed on 16 July 2010 that she would depart the show for at least a year to concentrate on her music career, with a planned tour of Australia and New Zealand. Although the tour never developed, she proceeded to tour the UK and returned to the series in 2012. She left permanently in January 2014. In 2017, she wrote and recorded the album Hold the Covers Back and continued to tour the UK. [13]
In 2011, Wakefield Council awarded McDonald a star on its walk of fame. [14]
In 2013, McDonald hosted the makeover show Star Treatment . In 2015, she played Grizabella in the musical Cats . She has become more widely known for hosting travel shows such as Cruising with Jane McDonald, Jane and Friends, Holidaying with Jane McDonald, Jane McDonald: My Yorkshire, and Jane McDonald: Lost in Japan. Cruising with Jane McDonald won the 2018 BAFTA Award for Best Feature, [15] making it the first win for a Channel 5 show. [16]
On 1 June 2023, McDonald was announced as Phillip Schofield's replacement as the host of the British Soap Awards. [17]
In 1998, McDonald married Dutch ship plumbing engineer Henrik Brixen, who later became her manager. [4] [6] [18] They divorced in 2003. [19] Brixen later admitted that he did not understand the music industry. [5]
In 2008, McDonald reunited with The Searchers drummer Eddie Rothe, whom she had briefly dated in 1980 when she was 17 and he was 26. [19] They became engaged on 24 December 2008, [19] but never married. [20] Rothe died of lung cancer at the age of 67 on 26 March 2021. [21]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK [10] | |||
| Jane McDonald [22] |
| 1 |
|
| Inspiration [A] |
| 6 | |
| Love at the Movies [B] |
| 24 | |
| You Belong to Me |
| 21 | |
| Jane |
| 7 | |
| The Singer of Your Song |
| — | |
| Hold the Covers Back |
| 69 | |
| Cruising with Jane McDonald |
| 6 | |
| Cruising with Jane McDonald: Volume Two |
| 24 | |
| Let the Light In |
| 21 |
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| The Collection |
|
| Because You Loved Me |
|
| Just for You [C] |
|
| Is It Love You're After [D] |
|
| Remixed |
|
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK [10] | ||
| Live at the London Palladium [E] |
| 31 |
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| From Me to You(limited edition) |
|
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [10] | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Cruise into Christmas Medley" | 1998 | 10 | Non-album single | ||||||||||||||||
| "You're My World" | — | Jane McDonald | |||||||||||||||||
| "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" | 2000 | — | Love at the Movies | ||||||||||||||||
| "The Hand That Leads Me" | 2001 | — | Inspiration | ||||||||||||||||
| "Winner" | — | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Doctors Orders" | 2008 | — | Jane | ||||||||||||||||
| "It's Getting Better" | 2010 | — | Non-album single | ||||||||||||||||
| "The Singer of Your Song" | 2014 | — | Singer of Your Song | ||||||||||||||||
| "Dance Yourself Dizzy (7th Heaven Mirrorball Radio Edit)" [23] | 2016 | — | Non-album single | ||||||||||||||||
| "You Still Lead Me" | 2021 | — | Let the Light In | ||||||||||||||||
| "The Hand That Leads Me (Acoustic)" | — | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Let the Light In" | — | ||||||||||||||||||
| "You're My World (Piano Sessions)" | — | ||||||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||||||
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| National | |
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