Years after the heartbreaking loss of her beloved fiancé, Eddie Roth, Jane McDonald has opened up with raw honesty about life without him.
Eddie, Jane’s teenage love and lifelong companion, passed away in March 2021 after a battle with lung cancer. The couple, who rekindled their romance almost three decades after first dating, had been engaged since 2008 but never walked down the aisle.
In a heartfelt statement at the time, 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.”
Since Eddie’s passing, Jane has spoken candidly about the weight of her grief. Reflecting in 2025, she told Heat magazine:
“There’s not a day that goes by when I don’t think of Eddie – it’s awful. I’m not going to butter it up in any way.”
The singer continued, revealing how she manages the daily struggle:
“Grief stays with you, but what you have to do is sit it beside joy. You have to bring as much joy into your life as humanly possible, so that you feel more happiness than grief. I’m just about level now. Every day, I do a mantra and say, ‘Right, you can go two ways here – you can either go down that route, or you can go that route.’”
Jane’s emotional journey has not been easy. In an interview with The Times in October 2024, she described being “traumatised” by Eddie’s death and the toll it took on her body and mind. Encouraged by her close friend Sue, Jane sought therapy for PTSD after enduring months of exhaustion while caring for Eddie.
“I nursed Ed virtually single-handedly. I barely slept and was in a constant state of high alert. When he died, I was emotionally wrung out and physically exhausted. I did a lot of crying and didn’t want to leave the house. When you are grieving, there is nothing as tempting as shutting yourself away. Home becomes your rabbit hole.”
