Jane McDonald has opened up about how she copes with grief following the deaths of her mother, Jean, in 2018 and her fiancé, Ed Rothe, in 2021. The 63-year-old presenter told Woman magazine that she keeps a portrait of her mother in her home and speaks to it each morning.
“Every morning I walk past her and say, 'Morning mum, isn't it a lovely day today?' I talk to her all the time and I feel like she talks to me. It gives me great comfort,” McDonald said.
Reflecting on her experience of loss, she acknowledged that grief is a constant companion. “Grief is always going to be there, right at your side, and it doesn't get any better or easier. What you have to do is fill your life with a load of joy, sit alongside it,” she added. She finds solace in keeping the memory of her loved ones alive through conversation.
Since Ed’s death, McDonald has focused on her career and spending time with family and friends. However, she is not actively seeking a new romantic relationship. “I’ll never say never, because you just don't know what's around the corner, do you? But if it never happens, then fine. I had a great partner who I feel very blessed that I had in my life,” she told The Mirror in November.
McDonald is now preparing for her Living The Dream 2026 tour, following the release of her album of the same name. Recorded at Blackbird Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, she described it as “full of heart, joy and the stories and moments that make life what it is.” She said, “Being on stage with you all is one of the greatest joys of my life.”
