We shared her laughter and her tears, we even went to her wedding and watched as her career soared.
Britain's docu-soap diva, Jane McDonald, began her Autumn tour earlier this year with 30 dates across the UK.
Jane first appeared on our screens in BBC 1's The Cruise, as top of the bill on board the ship 'The Galaxy'. Within weeks everyone knew everything there was to know about Jane, her mum and dad, her friends and fiancée Henrik. What they couldn't fathom was how her talent had been undiscovered for so long.
Wakefield-born Jane spent over a decade honing her craft on the tough northern club circuit. She had begun preparing for a new life as Henrik's wife, studying Danish and learning to cook. Then came the offer to top the bill on 'The Galaxy'.
Jane seized the opportunity and inadvertently became the focal point of the BBC's documentary on the luxury liner. The series attracted 12 million viewers and Jane McDonald emerged as a star.
Her first album - which featured a stunning collection of classic songs from the 1940s to the 1990s - elicited an amazing response from the public. It debuted at Number One, outsold her nearest rivals by four to one and gained Jane a place in the Guinness Book Of Records. It remained at Number One for three weeks and achieved platinum status.
10 million viewers shared Jane and Henrik's joy on their wedding day in a 50 minute documentary which included footage of Jane recording her hit album and performing live.
During the Summer of 1998 Jane sold out each Sunday night at Blackpool's legendary Opera House and became the second biggest grossing artist in the theatre's history. A sell-out UK tour followed, including a concert at the famous London Palladium, which was shown by the BBC on New Year's Eve to 10 million viewers.
Jane also appeared on the Royal Variety Show in the presence of HRH The Prince of Wales and fronted talent search show Star For A Night.
She said: "I was given the most fantastic opportunity by a television programme and I wanted to offer the same opportunities to other performers, offering them a platform to be discovered."
A second UK tour emulated the success of the first and culminated with a sell out concert at the Royal Albert Hall. The natural progression was for Jane to feature in her own video, where she sang songs such as You're My World, I Will Always Love You and Somewhere.
Jane also performed songs she wrote for her mother and father respectively, The Hand That Leads Me and Some You Win, Some You Lose. The video enjoyed advance sales of over 100,000 and became one of the biggest hits of Christmas 1999.
During that period Jane performed in Midsummer Magic in Lincoln, the Wicked Women concert in London's Hyde Park and the Chelmsford Festival where she performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in front of 6,000 people.
Jane's second album, the fantastic Inspiration, went gold on the day it was released, she began working on the second series of Star For A Night and Harper Collins released her autobiography Follow Your Dreams.
During 2000 legendary composer Michel Legrand and Broadway lyricist Sheldon Harnick worked with Jane on an album which also featured the work of Oscar-winning writers Alan and Marilyn Bergman.
In 2001 Jane recorded her incredibly popular album Love At The Movies and performed with the BBC Concert Orchestra. Her biggest challenge came when she was invited to perform at the prestigious MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
From the first notes of her first song Jane had the audience in the palm of her hand and received a standing ovation. She also received the keys to the city from the Mayor of Las Vegas. Jane's performance is captured on video and was followed by a Summer Tour of Britain.
Jane made her West End acting debut in the UK premiere of Don Black's Romeo and Juliet - The Musical at London's Piccadilly Theatre.
2003 television appearances included a guest spot on ITV's Loose Women and Drop the Celebrity LWT show which saw Jane parachuting from 12,000 feet.
Many other new projects are on the horizon for Jane, the consummate entertainer who has become one of the country's most loved stars.
For images and interviews, please contact Audrey Simpson at Robert C Kelly Limited on 0141 229 1444 or email audrey@robertckelly.co.uk
Source: http://www.robertckelly.co.uk/productions/archive/jane_mcdonald/biography.htm
