TV

Jane McDonald’s huge career decision after ex-husband ‘left her with nothing’

She did the right thing

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Jane McDonald was once forced to make a huge career decision after her ex-husband left her with ‘nothing’.

The Cruising With Jane McDonald star, 60, is back on our screens today (September 9) on her Cruising The Nordics show.

She’s also a BAFTA-winning former Loose Woman panelist and a bonafide national treasure.

Jane McDonald is pictured leaving the ITV studios after co-presenting the Loose Women show (Credit Splashnews.com)

What happened with Jane McDonald and ex-husband Henrik?

When her autobiography, Riding the Waves: My Story, was released in 2019 it was serialised by The Mirror.

Henrik and Jane met on a cruise ship where she was singing and he worked as a plumber. They married in 1998 in the Caribbean, and it was televised for BBC. Soon afterwards Jane handed the business side of her career over to her husband. But it didn’t help their marriage.

Henrik had loved me once but I could see in his eyes that he didn’t any more.

Jane explained: “Your manager is your boss and tells you what to do, what to wear and who to be, so our relationship changed.

Read more: Cruising with…viewers divided as Susan Calman takes over from Jane McDonald

“I loved him with all my heart, but felt he’d stopped looking at me as a wife. I became a product and I couldn’t flourish in a relationship like this. Arguments were not only between manager and artist, but also husband and wife. The lines were too blurred. I was a slightly overweight Northern woman in her 30s but the stylists wanted me to be classier. ‘Cut your hair, lose weight, stop talking, put your arms away’.”

Jane McDonald’s divorce

Things grew worse still when Jane was dropped from her record label. Despite her previous success in television, Jane realised she had barely any money left. Brave Jane soon made the decision to fire husband Henrik – and it was a decision that changed her life.

“My work had dried up and it felt as if the whole industry had turned their backs on us. Henrik had loved me once but I could see in his eyes that he didn’t any more. He wanted to go back to America and live his life and I loved him enough to let him.”

It turned out to be a good decision for Jane. Today, Jane is reported to be worth £4.5 million.

Jane and Eddie after rekindling their romance 13 years ago (Credit YouTube)

Loss of partner Eddie

As well as boosting her bank balance, Jane’s love life was also on the rise following her split from Henrik.

After they dated in their twenties, Jane rekindled her romance with Eddie Rothe. However, he sadly died following a lung cancer diagnosis in 2021. Jane has since returned to work, touring with her one-woman show and travelling with Channel 5.

Read more: Jane McDonald on her ex-husband, her late love Eddie Rothe and why she never had children

Cruising the Nordics with Jane McDonald in on Channel 5 today (September 9) at 3.30pm.

Will you be joining Jane for her travels? Let us know over on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix

Cruising with Jane Mcdonald | Cruise.co.uk