Jane McDonald made a deeply moving and heartfelt admission during her appearance on Monday's episode of The One Show on BBC One. The legendary singer, aged 62, joined hosts to discuss her latest album, Living the Dream, which has impressively climbed to number five in the Official Charts.
A Poignant Performance on Woman's Hour
During the interview, a clip was shown of Jane performing her new song, Beautiful Soul. Host Alex Jones noted that Jane had the privilege of singing this song earlier on Woman's Hour as a tribute to the recently deceased Dame Jenni Murray, the iconic BBC Radio 4 broadcaster who presented the show for over three decades before passing away at age 75.
Jane responded with raw emotion, stating, "Oh my goodness me. I've never been that emotional because we've been talking about the lovely Jenni, who lived just down the road from me in Barnsley. And it was... so many messages were coming in and I started to sing."
Channeling Grief Through Music
She continued, revealing a deeper layer to her feelings: "Then I realised that it was Ed's anniversary coming up as well, which is who the song's about, and then I realised that actually I'm just a vessel for everybody else's beautiful souls." Jane tragically lost her fiancé, Eddie Rothe, in March 2021 when he died of lung cancer at the age of 67.
Reflecting on the experience, Jane added, "It made me feel so emotional thinking how many people are going to listen to this song and think about the people that they love. And it's, oh..." She nearly became overwhelmed again while discussing it, concluding, "It was very, very emotional, and so it was poignant for all of us in the studio this morning."
Inspired by Personal Loss
In a recent interview with Woman magazine, Jane elaborated on how the loss of Eddie inspired several tracks on her new album. She explained, "It's the first time I've written about Ed. 'How can I move on?' is all about hearing his voice on a voicemail and wearing his sweater, just to feel a bit closer to him, then asking, 'How can I move on?'"
Regarding Beautiful Soul, she shared, "Another song, 'Beautiful Soul' - God knows how I'm going to sing that! I'm going to have to think, 'I'm the channel for other people,' and this is for them, to remember their loved ones."
Balancing Emotion and Entertainment
Jane also touched on the therapeutic nature of her performances, stating, "My shows are very emotional, but they're full of laughter and disco as well. You get a bit of everything. It's like therapy - and that's just for me!" This blend of heartfelt sentiment and lively entertainment defines her approach to connecting with audiences.
The One Show continues to air on weeknights at 7pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, offering viewers more insights into the lives of notable figures like Jane McDonald.
