Is Jane McDonald the nicest woman in showbiz? How the no-nonsense Loose Women legend, 61, became a cult hero with a host of Gen Z and LGBTQ fans - after suffering devastating tragedies

For nearly three decades Jane McDonald has been entertaining the nation. 

With her instantly recognisable thick Yorkshire accent and northern charm she has managed to maintain her star power in an industry known for its fickleness. 

If anything, Jane has managed to win over a brand new audience as time has gone by, becoming a cult hero among Gen Z. 

The 61-year-old singer has been trending on TikTok, with young fans sharing snippets from her current UK tour and dubbing her 'the people's princess.'  

She has also gathered a large LGBTQ fanbase, with her flamboyant style and self-confessed 'camp' performances credited with making her a 'gay icon'. 

Often rare in the celebrity circuit, Jane also doesn't seem to have made any enemies on her way to the top, and instead boasts a diverse group of famous friends, who often appear on her Channel 5 show. 

Yet while she's famed for her positive attitude and no-nonsense persona, it hasn't always been plain sailing for Jane, who has suffered a series of devastating family tragedies. 

Now MailOnline takes a look at how Jane has persevered through trauma to cruise her way into the nation's hearts.  

Born in Wakefield, Jane and siblings Tony and Janet were raised by dad Peter - a miner who doubled as a chimney-sweep - and mum Jean, who ran a boarding-house. 

Yet Jane always had dreams of stardom and started performing in local clubs and pubs before landing work as a singer on cruise ships. 

It was in 1998 that she landed her big break, when she featured on BBC docuseries The Cruise, resulting in her being snapped up by independent record label Focus Music International.

She was a chart success, with her self-titled album spending three weeks at number one on the UK Albums Chart that year, while her festive single, Cruise into Christmas, reached the top 10.

Tragically, her father didn't get to see her stardom, having passed away in 1993.  

Despite her fame, Jane stayed true to her humble roots and continued to live at home with her beloved mother - sharing a home at her bungalow near Newmillerdam - until she was 45.

Speaking about her decision to not move out, she explained: 'I was out working all the time, and I was able to pay for the bills, and I had my mother at home looking after me. 

'My brother and sister got married, and they have been in great relationships all of their lives, but for me, it just didn’t happen that way.'

She temporarily moved out when she married her manager Henrik Brixen in 1998, with the pair relocating to Florida. 

Yet by her own admission she was 'gullible and clueless' to what he was doing to her career and she soon stopped being treated as a wife but like a 'product'. 

'I couldn’t flourish in a relationship like this. Arguments were not only between manager and artist, but also husband and wife', she explained in her 2019 autobiography. 

'Henrik and I once talked about having children but there wasn't room for babies in his plans for me. I began to feel lonely in my marriage,' she added. 

Ultimately, with her marriage on the rocks and her career in a downward spiral she decided to fire Hendrik as her manager, admitting 'I had nothing left.' Their five-year union came to an end shortly afterwards. 

As a result, Jane found herself back in Wakefield aged 40, when she moved in with her mother.

Yet Jane was determined not to let the heartbreak get her down and set to work rebuilding her career. 

In 2004, Jane joined the panel of ITV's Loose Women and became famed for her no-nonsense approach to topics as she debated alongside friends like Carol McGiffin, Lisa Maxwell, Denise Welch and the late Linda Bellingham. 

After 10 years on the show she decided to step away to focus on her music career, embarking on numerous tours before landing a series of popular travel shows, including Cruising with Jane McDonald and Jane McDonald & Friends.

While fans have been calling for her to make a permeant return to Loose Women, Jane has previously claimed that she's happy with making the odd guest appearance for now.

She explained: 'Never say never. But it was a period in time when everything was different. We could get away with things that we could never do now.

'And it was an era of girls who were not just colleagues – we were a force to be reckoned with. We were like Sex And The City when we hit the town. We’d have taken a bullet for each other.'

'I don’t think I could go back without my friends on the same panel.'

Jane's career as a documentary host was thriving, and in 2018 she was awarded a British Academy Television Award for her television series Cruising with Jane McDonald.

Yet tragedy struck her personal life that year when she lost her beloved mother in December, days before Christmas. 

She announced the news in an emotional tweet, sharing: 'I know this time of year is difficult for so many people due to losing loved ones, this year I join you.

'I have very recently lost my beautiful Mum. A light in my heart has gone out for a short while. My family and I would appreciate your privacy regarding this huge loss.'

She was comforted through the loss by her fiancé Eddie Rothe, a drummer and member of The Searchers whom she had briefly dated as a teenager. 

Having rekindled their romance, Eddie popped the question on Christmas Eve in 2008. 

Speaking about their love story, Jane shared: 'My life has been a lot of being in the right place at the right time, so being back with Eddie has something of destiny about it. We both realise we are lucky to have found each other again.'

Yet tragedy struck again when Eddie was diagnosed with lung cancer and he passed away in March 2021 - three years after the loss of her mother. 

Jane recently reflected on her grief as she made a guest appearance on Loose Women.  

Speaking on the panel show last month, Jane said: 'If I could get my mother and Ed back, I would in a heartbeat. But I can't. You've got to realise that life goes on and I want to live. I love life. 

'We don't know how many days we've got and Ed died very young. I want to just do everything I want to do. I'm moving forward and taking them with me.' 

Jane said last year she was not worried about finding love again after losing her partner and insisted she didn't need anyone new in her life now. 

She sought comfort in best friend and personal assistant Sue Ravey, who she met on the singing circuit when they were touring. 

Sue moved in with Jane after Eddie's death and the pair have lived together ever since, appearing as an iconic double act on Celebrity Gogglebox. 

Jane has also been kept busy with work, and will be heading off another cruise around Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, and Oslo next year. 

She has also just released her book, Let The Light In: Lessons learned through life, love and laughter, in which she shares the life lessons that helped her grow, adapt and rise up through adversity.

Jane is currently on her 2024 tour, With All My Love, and has been delighting audiences up and down the country. 

While she's sold out the majority of her dates, Jane has insisted that she doesn't care about the scale of her shows, previously confessing: 'To me, twenty fans are equally as important as twenty thousand fans. 

'When I look out, I don't see a sea of people but individual faces.'

And what a range of diverse faces it is, with Jane attracting fans of young and old. 

In 2019, radio DJ Adele Roberts caused a stir when she revealed she'd brought in a photograph of Jane as her luxury item on I'm A Celebrity

While several of the campmates chose items such as family photos, beauty products and comfy pillows, Adele opted for a framed snap of The Cruise star because she 'never fails to cheer her up' and 'reminds her of her radio listeners'.

While her fellow campmates were baffled, fans took to X, formerly Twitter, to praise the choice, with many saying Jane also cheered them up. 

Speaking about the hysteria the time, Jane told Radio 1 Newsbeat that her popularity among younger fans had risen recently.

'I've been in the background for quite a while, which is fine, but all of a sudden I don't know what's happened,' she said. 'I'm so thrilled... I'm a little bit speechless.'