Jane McDonald is about to have a busy end to her year, as the former Loose Women favourite prepares to tour the nation with With All My Love, and on top of this, she's releasing her third book, Let the Light In.
The book is one-part memoir and one-part a self-help book which charts the singer's life from a bullied schoolgirl to finding love and fame as well as her own heartbreaking losses. Each chapter also displays the star's tenacity as she learns from incidents and further improves herself.
Although Jane details some of her difficulties, whether it was going through two divorces, or her career going in the wrong direction, she always displays a sense of self-confidence and self-love, which helps her persevere.
"If someone says to me, 'You have to do that' I will go off and do the opposite," she laughed. "All through my career are people saying, 'You need to get out of this, you need to do this', because we're in the entertainment industry and you have to fit a certain costume.
© Shutterstock"I became very good with a needle when I was on the [cruise] ships because the food is that good. I got very good at sewing, but I hate being told. If you're happy in yourself with how you look, sod 'em that's it!"
Jane's new book is full of life lessons and filled with stories of the star's inner strength. Reflecting on her best piece of advice, she shared: "Everything's going to be alright, everything happens for a reason. What's for you doesn't go by you, I don't worry anymore because I think this is how it's meant to be. I tend to be a lot more laid back than I ever used to be."
© InstagramThe chapters in Jane's book are all divided into ways to improve yourself, from 'Conquering Anxiety' to 'Finding Your People' and 'Learning to Love Yourself'. The final part deals with finding purpose, something Jane admits she only recently discovered.
She joked to us: "I don't think it's sat at home tending to my roses! I think it is to get out there to lift people's spirits and that's what we do on tour, in the book and on the telly. My purpose is to entertain and make people smile, that's a gift that not many of us have, so why would I stay at home, putting manure on my roses?"
© InstagramShe continued: "Everybody's got a purpose, I don't care who you are and what you do, you can be a great daughter, a great mum, a great family member, a fabulous friend, you can be amazing at your job. You can just be someone who makes people feel good. Everybody's got something in their lives that they're very good at.
"Finding that is a great time in your life. Finding your purpose is: 'Why has that happened? I was supposed to go there. But it's not, I've gone a different way now and I feel joy again. Finding your purpose is finding joy, finding something that gives you joy in life."
© David Fisher/ShutterstockWhen we meet Jane during a warm summer's day, the star is all decked in sparkly sequin trousers and a cream jumper, looking as effortlessly stylish as she does whether she's presenting the British Soap Awards or travelling across the world.
Jane's fashion is well-known with her legions of fans often taking to social media to compliment the 61-year-old on her latest ensemble. When asked how she stays so stylish, Jane explained to HELLO!: "I know my best bits, when you get to my age, you know that. Right now, I've got a slightly off the shoulder [jumper] but not showing too much, I know I've got good shoulders, so you look at your best bits and celebrate those.
© Instagram"That's what I do, I've got good legs, little hips, one shoulder, and that's it, so just play to your strengths."
As we mentioned at the start, Jane is about to head back on tour and it's clear that the singer couldn't be more excited. When asked about her preparations, she teased: "It's finding what the fans want, that was the main thing. We put a couple of things out: '"What would you really like?'
© Instagram"The fans came back with fan favourites that I've forgotten about and things that I nearly took out of the show. Finally the setlist is done, now we're sorting out the outfits, then the lighting designer. We've got to produce the show, get all the tracks sorted so backing singers can listen to what they're supposed to be doing."
Jane added: "There's a lot of pre-work on a tour, and then I'll go into rehearsals next and once again think about getting fit for the tour, fasting a bit, that's my secret, that's how I keep slim. But with it so close, it's turning into excitement and doesn't feel like work."
© InstagramThe star also shared how she's doing her tour for her fans, explaining: "I'm dedicating it to love. Everybody wants to be loved, whether it's a dog, cat plant, it doesn't matter where you find that.
"We've all got so much love and it is a celebration of that wonderful thing called love."
