# Jane McDonald

Jane Anne McDonald (born 4 April 1963) is an English singer and television presenter. Born and raised in Wakefield, McDonald spent much of her early career performing in local clubs and pubs before landing work as a singer on cruise ships. McDonald became known to the public in 1998 following her appearance on the BBC show The Cruise. The same year, she released her self-titled debut album Jane McDonald (1998), which topped the UK Albums Chart and remained there for 3 weeks.
The singer has had a total of four top 10 albums in the UK in addition to performing in live concerts and her tours at venues across the UK, including the Royal Albert Hall and the London Palladium, as well as at the MGM Grand Las Vegas. In 2015, McDonald performed the role of Grizabella in the musical Cats. McDonald has also co-presented a number of daytime television shows, including Loose Women between 2004 and 2014, and the ITV programme Star Treatment (2013). Her TV travel show Cruising with Jane McDonald, which debuted in 2017 on Channel 5, has spawned eight series and earned her a British Academy Television Award. She has also presented her own shows Jane & Friends, Holidaying with Jane McDonald and Jane McDonald: My Yorkshire on Channel 5.

## Early life

McDonald was born in Wakefield, West Riding of Yorkshire.

## Career

After appearing on Chris Terrill's docusoap The Cruise, she was taken on by independent record label Focus Music International to make a covers album and a Christmas single. The self-titled album Jane McDonald spent three weeks at number one 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.
After her number one success on an independent label, McDonald signed a recording contract with UMTV (Universal's catalogue and compilations division), and appeared as a guest presenter on BBC's National Lottery.
Beginning in 2004, McDonald was a regular presenter on the ITV daytime television programme Loose Women, appearing on the show three times a week. It was confirmed on 16 July 2010 that McDonald would depart Loose Women in the summer, for at least a year to concentrate on her music career and to tour Australia and New Zealand. Although an Australian tour never developed into anything official, she proceeded to tour the United Kingdom in 2011. She returned in 2012 before leaving the series permanently in January 2014 to focus on her music career. She has since made many guest appearances. She continues to tour the UK with her solo shows & has introduced Christmas themed arena shows into her work schedule.
Cruising with Jane McDonald won the 2018 BAFTA Award for Best Feature, making it the first win for a Channel 5 show.
On 1 June 2023, McDonald was announced as Philip Schofield's replacement as the host of the 2023 British Soap Awards.

## Personal life

McDonald spent most of her early and adult life living with her mother, whom she regarded as her "best friend". They shared a bungalow near Newmillerdam in Wakefield, until Jean died in 2018.
In 1998, McDonald married Henrik Brixen, a ship's plumbing engineer, from Denmark, who later became her manager. Their relationship was detailed in a special edition of The Cruise, called The Cruise Special: Jane Ties the Knot, which was broadcast on BBC One on 10 July 1998. Brixen later admitted that he did not understand the music industry. The couple divorced in 2003.
In 2008, McDonald was reunited with musician Eddie Rothe, whom she briefly dated at seventeen, in 1980. He was a drummer and member of The Searchers. They became engaged on 24 December 2008 after Rothe proposed. Rothe died of lung cancer on 26 March 2021.

## Discography
### Albums

| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications |
| Title | Details | UK | Certifications |
| Jane McDonald | Released: 1 June 1998 Label: Focus Music International Formats: Digital download, CD | 1 | BPI: Platinum |
| Inspiration | Released: 5 June 2000 Label: Universal Music TV Formats: Digital download, CD | 6 | |
| Love at the Movies | Released: 15 October 2001 Label: Universal Music TV Formats: Digital download, CD | 24 | |
| You Belong to Me | Released: 24 January 2005 Label: DMG TV Formats: Digital download, CD | 21 | |
| Jane | Released: 11 August 2008 Label: JMD Formats: Digital download, CD | 7 | |
| The Singer of Your Song | Released: 14 September 2014 Label: JMD Formats: Digital download, CD | — | |
| Hold the Covers Back | Released: 3 November 2017 Label: JMD Formats: Digital download, CD | 69 | |
| Cruising with Jane McDonald | Released: 22 June 2018 Label: Channel 5 Broadcasting Formats: Digital download, CD | 6 | |
| Cruising with Jane McDonald: Volume Two | Released: 28 October 2020 Label: Channel 5 Broadcasting Formats: Digital download, CD | 24 | |
| Let the Light In | Released: 20 August 2021 Label: JMD Formats: Digital download, CD | 21 | |

### Compilation albums

| Title | Details |
| The Collection | Released: April 2003 Formats: Digital download, CD |
| Because You Loved Me | Released: August 2007 Formats: Digital download, CD |
| Just for You | Released: October 2010 Formats: Digital download, CD |
| Is It Love You're After | Released: March 2014 Formats: Digital download, CD |
| Remixed | Released: September 2014 Formats: Digital download, CD |

### Live albums

| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Details | UK |
| Live at the London Palladium | Released: October 2010 Formats: Digital download, CD | 31 |

### Extended plays

| Title | Details |
| From Me to You (limited edition) | Released: September 2006 Formats: Digital download, CD |

### Singles

| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Title | Year | UK | Album |
| "Cruise into Christmas Medley" | 1998 | 10 | Non-album single |
| "You're My World" | 1998 | — | Jane McDonald |
| "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" | 2000 | — | Love at the Movies |
| "The Hand That Leads Me" | 2001 | — | Inspiration |
| "Winner" | 2001 | — | Inspiration |
| "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)" | 2016 | — | Non-album single |
| "You Still Lead Me" | 2021 | — | Let the Light In |
| "The Hand That Leads Me (Acoustic)" | 2021 | — | Let the Light In |
| "Let the Light In" | 2021 | — | Let the Light In |
| "You're My World (Piano Sessions)" | 2021 | — | Let the Light In |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. ||||

### DVDs

* Jane McDonald in Concert (1999)
* Jane McDonald Live in Las Vegas (2001)
* Being Jane (filmed 2005)
* The Very Best of Loose Women (2008)
* Late Night with the Loose Women (2009)
* Jane McDonald – Live at the London Palladium (18 October 2010)
* Jane McDonald – A Live Christmas Concert Special (15 November 2019) (No. 2 in the DVD music charts)

## Books

* Jane McDonald – Follow Your Dreams, autobiography (2000)
* Jane McDonald – Riding the Waves: My Story, autobiography, Virgin Books (2019)
* Jane McDonald – Let The Light In, Ebury Publishing (2024)

## Awards

In 2011, Wakefield Council awarded her a star in the form of a pavement plaque for outstanding achievement from an entertainer.
In 2018, McDonald was awarded a British Academy Television Award for her television series Cruising with Jane McDonald.