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Jane McDonald
English singer, songwriter, and television presenter (born 1963) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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 self-titled debut 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.
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Early life
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 in 2018, when McDonald was 45 years old.[4][5][6]
Career
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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 in the form of a pavement plaque.[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]
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Personal life
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]
Discography
Albums
Compilation albums
Live albums
Extended plays
Singles
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)
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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)
Notes
References
External links
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