Inside Jane McDonald’s heartbreak last year after tragic death of fiancé who taught her ‘life is for living’
TV star Jane McDonald was rocked last year by the tragic death of her fiancé.
The 58-year-old singer and former Loose Women star was left heartbroken when her fiancé Eddie Rothe passed away last April after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
She said at the time that the musician “taught me life is for living”.
Jane had dated drummer Eddie since 2008 but was introduced to him twenty years before.
She first met The Searchers star in 1980 and the pair briefly dated before going their separate ways.
Jane and Eddie’s short-lived relationship went full circle after a chance meeting at the ITV studios in 2008.
She was on Loose Women at the time, while Eddie was a guest on This Morning.
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Jane said she almost pulled out of going to say hello to her former flame, who she’d last seen face-to-face aged 18.
She recalled: “He said, ‘Look I’ve just been through a divorce, here’s my card if you want to talk to me’.”
“I couldn’t wait. I ran home from Loose Women, I couldn’t wait to talk to him because a lot had happened.
“I thought what if he doesn’t know who I am, I really did. I thought he’d be like ‘Who are you?’”
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In her first interview since his death, Jane said: “If we know anything about what has happened in this past year, it’s that life is too short.
“This has taught me that life is for living and I will live it even more when we are allowed out again.”
She continued: “We all think, ‘I’d better not spend that,’ but I tell you something, I’m going to spend a lot and I’m going to have the best time because you just don’t know when you’re going to be able to do it again.”
In a statement announcing Eddie’s death, Jane thanked the NHS and the hospice which cared for him in his final days.
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In a statement posted online, Jane said: “It is with immense sadness that we share the news that Jane’s beloved life partner, Ed, passed away on Friday 26th March.
“He had been battling lung cancer for the last few months.
“We would like to thank everyone for all their help and support during this very difficult time, especially the NHS staff and the wonderful team at The Wakefield Hospice.”