Emotional Jane McDonald travelled to America to record her new album Living the Dream and she has opened up about the challenges she’s faced in her long career
Jane McDonald broke down in tears as she discussed ‘struggling’ (Image: Channel 5)
Jane McDonald broke down in tears as as she confessed her struggle in the “very, very hard” showbusiness world. The TV and singing star said she has been the “underdog” all the way through her career but she is proud of herself for never giving up.
She spoke as she visited the legendary Blackbird Studio in Nashville as a new Channel 5 show followed her as she recorded her new album, Living the Dream, which was released last month.
She told viewers: “I’m going to let you into a little secret. I’ve come to Nashville because I was making a new album, and when I started writing I realised there was like a country feel. For many years people have been telling me I should be a country singer and my dad always said ‘you should be a country singer’ and that was years ago.
“But if I’m honest I never gave it much thought until now. It’s only taken me 27 years to finally come round to doing what I maybe should have been doing all along!”
Jane has been in Nashville with Channel 5(Image: Channel 5)
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We then see her heading into the studios. Jane went on: “Today the musicians, the engineers and the producers are mixing the songs. This is the part of the process where it all comes together and I’m not going to lie, it’s all a bit nerve-wracking.”
She then became overcome with emotion and added: “It’s blown my mind a little bit, really. When I started here I thought ‘what am I doing?’ I’ve always felt my heart is in country as I’m a story teller. And when I write songs I write a story and this is my story.
“All of my life I’ve sort of been the underdog. Never give up, If I’ve learned anything from being in Nashville I just never gave up. I fought all the way through. It’s been a struggle. I’m not going to lie. This industry is hard… very, very hard.”
It wasn’t the only emotional confession this week. Jane said she would “give everything up” to have her fiance, Eddie Rothe, back. Having been a major part of her life in both her youth and then decades later as her fiance, the singer said she still feels as though Eddie is with her “at all times”.
Jane and Eddie, who was best known for being the drummer in Liquid Gold and The Searchers, first started dating when they were teenagers living in Wakefield, Yorkshire. However, at the time their romance wasn’t meant to be as they decided to go their separate ways.
As both musicians carried out their separate careers, they were reunited almost three decades later after a surprise encounter on This Morning. The couple went on to get engaged in 2008, however they never ended up officially tying the knot.
Jane was left heartbroken in 2021 when she announced Eddie had died from lung cancer, which Jane said started out as a “persistent cough”. As it got closer to the end of his life, Jane became Eddie’s full-time carer and provided him with support in the final days.
As his funeral was during Covid restrictions, he was given a “low key” funeral. At the time, Jane said it “was a tragedy, because nobody could come to see him.” She later went on to admit she still listens to his voicemails and wears his jumper to feel closer to him.
In the years following Eddie’s death, Jane moved out of her £1million five-bedroomed bungalow in Wakefield as it was a painful reminder of the loss of both her fiance and her mother in 2018.
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