Jane McDonald has said she cried so much during late fiancé Eddie Rothe ’s proposal that onlookers thought they’d split up.
The 59-year-old star first met the rocker, who was the drummer in The Searchers, at a club in Wakefield back in 1980, and they embarked on a teenage romance, as Jane was just 17 at the time.
However, they parted ways after a few months of dating, and didn’t see each other again until they were reunited in 2008, and they quickly struck up a relationship.
Later that same year, Eddie got down on one knee, and recalling the tearful proposal, Jane said she was so overcome with emotion that people watching thought they had split up, rather than got engaged.
“Suddenly, Ed cleared his throat and put his hand in his pocket, ‘Jane, you are definitely the one for me, and I should have done this 26 years ago,' he said. 'Will you marry me?’” she recalled.
“I was so overwhelmed that I started crying. Then Ed started crying! People around us were mortified - thinking we'd split up,” Jane quipped.
The couple enjoyed more than a decade together, before the ex-Loose Women presenter announced the heartbreaking news that Eddie had passed away, following a secret battle with lung cancer.
“It is with immense sadness that we share the news that Jane’s beloved life partner, Ed, passed away on Friday 26th March,” she said in a statement last year.
“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,” she added.
She returned to the ITV talk show at the end of last year to talk about her beloved Eddie in an interview with Carol McGiffin and Kaye Adams, and said she didn’t want to “feel sad for the rest of my life”.
“Ed was golden, smiley, he was beautiful. Thirteen years of absolute bliss. That’s how I’m getting through it. I’m not thinking of the last six months because it was horrendous,” the visibly emotional star shared.
