Jane Anne McDonald (born 4 April 1963) is an English singer, songwriter 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, McDonald released her self-titled debut album ''Jane McDonald'' (1998), which topped the
UK Albums Chart and remained there for 3 weeks. McDonald has had a total of four top 10 albums in the UK in addition to performing in live concerts and her own 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
Chris Terrill is a British anthropologist, adventurer, broadcaster, author and filmmaker.
Biography
Born in Brighton, Sussex, in 1952, Terrill attended Brighton College 1965–1970, and then went to Durham University, where he gained a joint ...
's
docusoap ''
The Cruise'', she was taken on by independent record label Focus Music International to make a
covers album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...
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
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
.
After her number one success on an independent label, McDonald signed a recording contract with
UMTV
Universal Music On Demand (UMOD) is a London-based record label owned by Universal Music Group, formed in 1998 as Universal Music TV (UMTV). UMOD specialises in producing compilation albums and occasional single releases. It was founded whe ...
(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.
Personal life
In 1998, McDonald married Henrik, a ship's plumbing engineer, who later became her manager. Their relationship was detailed in a special edition of Terrill's docusoap, 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, and the couple split in 2003, largely for the sake of her career.
In 2008, McDonald was reunited with musician Eddie Rothe, an old acquaintance from her teenage years and a 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
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)
Books
*''Jane McDonald – Follow Your Dreams'',
autobiography (2000)
*''Jane McDonald – Riding the Waves: My Story'', autobiography, Virgin Books (2019)
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''.
Notes
References
External links
Official websiteJane's profile at itv.comDiscogography at Discogs*
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Jane
1963 births
Living people
English television presenters
Television personalities from West Yorkshire
English women pop singers
People from Wakefield
20th-century English women singers
21st-century English women singers