Jane McDonald was a favourite with TV viewers on Loose Women but she quit the show in 2014
Jane McDonald was a Loose Women regular for many years(Image: ITV screengrab)
Jane McDonald has become a household name thanks to her travel shows and singing career, but many fans still remember her from her Loose Women days.
The 62-year-old star used to be one of the ITV programme’s most popular presenters, chatting over the hottest topics of the day for a decade before announcing that she was permanently vacating her seat on the panel.
While fans of the daytime show have become used to a rotating cast of presenters, many were disappointed to see Jane go when she stepped down in 2014.
So why did she leave Loose Women? And will she ever go back to the show?
When was Jane McDonald on Loose Women?
Jane was already well known for television programme The Cruise and a string of albums when she joined the show as a presenter in 2004.
She featured on Loose Women along fellow stars such as Carol McGiffin, Andrea McLean, Sherrie Hewson and Denise Welch and became hugely popular with viewers.
When did Jane McDonald leave the ITV show?
However, in January 2014, the star announced that she was leaving, telling fans that the time was “right” for her to move on as she had an album and a tour in the pipeline.
She said in a statement at the time: “It has been an incredible 10 years for me on Loose Women and I’ve loved every minute of it. I’ve got a busy and exciting year coming up with a new album and national concert tour.
“So the time is right for me to step aside from Loose Women and concentrate on new opportunities.
“I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again on tour and I thank you all for your continued support, loyalty and best wishes.”
Would Jane McDonald return as Loose Women panellist?
The star has previously suggested that she isn’t likely to make a permanent return to the programme, as she was widely quoted as telling Woman magazine: “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.”
However, she did add: “Never say never.”
Guest appearances
Jane has gone on to make guest appearances on the ITV show over the years.
In 2021 she returned to the programme to talk about the death of her fiance Eddie Rothe, who had passed away that year after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
Opening up in a moving segment, Jane told how it had been a “privilege” to nurse her partner before he died.
“At first I thought, ‘How am I going to do this?’” she said. “But then you get a strength when you are nursing your loved one. I learnt how to do it. I changed all the dressings and I cared for him and I nursed him and I’m glad I did.”
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Cruising with Jane McDonald is on Channel 5 at 1.05pm on Sunday (February 1).