Real reason Jane McDonald left Loose Women after 10 years

Jane McDonald thrilled audiences on Friday when the singer made her return to the Loose Women panel to speak about her upcoming tour and new book.

The singer used to be a mainstay on the Loose Women panel, being a regular panellist between 2004 and 2014 before her departure. Since her exit ten years ago, Jane has still made appearances on the panel but always as a guest rather than a regular contributor.

So, why did the 61-year-old decide to leave the ITV show and will she ever make a permanent comeback? Here's all we know…

Jane's departure

Jane took several breaks away from Loose Women during her time on the show due to varying commitments from her music tours and her travel shows.

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In January 2014, the star confirmed that she was stepping back permanently from the show, in order to focus on her career as a songstress. "It has been an incredible 10 years for me on Loose Women and I've loved every minute of it," she posted on social media.

"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."

Jane continued: "I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again on tour and I thank you all for your continued support, loyalty and best wishes."

Possible return

Despite returning to the panel on several occasions, Jane has admitted that she isn't planning to make a full-time return to Loose Women.

Reflecting on her time on the panel with Women Magazine, Jane said: "Never say never. But it was a period in time when everything was different. We could get away with things that we could never do now."

The star continued: "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. I don't think I could go back without my friends on the same panel."

During her time on the show, Jane appeared with stars like Denise Welch, Andrea McLean and Carol McGiffin, who have also since moved on to pastures news.

Life since leaving Loose Women

Since leaving the show in 2014, Jane has gone on several nationwide tours and is currently gearing up for her latest one. The singer has also released five albums and a further two books.

Jane has continued with her travel series, making several for Channel 5 which saw her exploring several beautiful locales from the Canary Islands to Japan.

A life-long soap opera fan, Jane also presented 2023's British Soap Awards following the departure of Phillip Schofield.

However, it hasn't all been plain sailing for the former cruise ship singer as in 2018 she sadly lost her mum, Jean, and in 2021, her fiancé, Eddie Rothe passed away from lung cancer.