Jane McDonald has previously opened up about the end of her marriage to second husband, Henrik Brixen, revealing that he left her in order to save her career. The former Loose Women panellist first met Henrik while she was filming the BBC show The Cruise, with Henrik working as a plumber on board the ship at the time.
The pair went on to marry in 1998, with their wedding featured in the fly-on-the-wall series. Henrik subsequently took over managing Jane's blossoming career – but after four years, decided to call time on the marriage amid concerns he would prevent Jane from being successful.
© Photo: RexJane McDonald pictured with second husband Henrik Brixen in 1998
"Henrik tried his very very best and he was brilliant at what he did, but he didn’t know the industry," 55-year-old Jane revealed to the Mirror back in 2018. "We'd come to a point where Henrik had made quite a few enemies and he said, 'If I don’t leave you, you are never going to have a career.' And that is why I never talk about Henrik in a bad light at all because he was the one that walked out of the marriage to save my career."
The star has since gone on to enjoy great success; she appeared on Loose Women for ten years, has performed in Las Vegas, and was recently nominated for her first TV BAFTA for Cruising With Jane McDonald. She has also found love again in 2008, after reconnecting with her childhood boyfriend, Eddie Rothe, who very sadly passed away in April 2021.
© Photo: RexEddie Rothe sadly died in April 2021
A statement on Twitter confirmed the sad news and revealed that the star, who was formerly a drummer with 1960s group The Searchers, was diagnosed with lung cancer a few months ago.
The post read: "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."
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