Jane mcdonald
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Jane McDonald branded a ‘legend’ as she’s replaced by Susan Calman on Cruising With

Jane is off to pastures new

Susan Calman paid tribute to Jane McDonald on The One Show last night (December 15), as she takes over her successful Channel 5 Cruising With show.

The Scottish comedian has filmed two festive specials for Christmas Cruising with Susan Calman.

She will be seen cruising to Norway and across the Arctic Circle as she goes in search of the Northern Lights.

So why has she taken over from much-loved Cruising With star Jane?

And how will the shows differ with Susan as host?

The comic spilled the beans to hosts Sam Quek and Jermaine Jenas last night.

Jane mcdonald
Jane McDonald stepped down from her Cruising show (Credit: Channel 5)

What did Susan Calman say about Jane McDonald?

Susan branded Jane a “legend” as she spoke about taking over the reigns of the Channel 5 show.

Jermaine asked: “You’re taking over from Jane McDonald and she always did the old big song and dance routine at the end. So what will you be doing?”

Read more: Jane McDonald apologises to Denise Welch after missing milestone

Susan replied: “So Jane’s an absolute legend and everyone will be pleased to know I’m not singing at the end of the episodes. No one needs to hear that.”

However, she will be putting her own spin on the show.

“I love RuPaul’s Drag Race so I suggested we do a lip sync song and dance routine with passengers and crew and all the friends I made on my journey.

“So there’s a pretty magical dance routine, I tried my best, lip syncing songs at the end, just to bring a bit of fun and joy and happiness.”

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Susan Calman paid tribute to Jane on The One Show last night (Credit: BBC)

Why isn’t Jane McDonald hosting the show?

Jane filmed her last series of Cruising With before the pandemic hit and announced she was stepping down.

She started the show in 2017, hosted more than seven series and even won a BAFTA.

Read more: Loose Women fans call for Jane McDonald to return to the panel full time

Jane said she stepped down to focus on “exciting new projects”, her music and tours.

However, that was sadly derailed when her fiancé Eddie Rothe died after a battle with cancer.

Jane has recently revealed that she has some exciting travel plans in the pipeline though, so it sounds like a case of watch this space for the star when it comes to her plans for 2022.

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Christmas Cruising with Susan Calman will launch on Channel 5 on Monday December 20 at 9pm, with the next episode showing on Tuesday December 21 at 9pm.

Head to our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and tell us if you’ll be tuning in.


Nancy Brown
Associate Editor