Singer Jane McDonald is returning to the panel of ITV’s Loose Women after viewers inundated the show’s bosses, and Jane herself, with requests to reinstate her.

Jane left the show eighteen months ago to concentrate on reviving her music career, but yesterday, she called former Corrie star Sherrie Hewson to break the news that she’s coming back.

She said, “Ever since I left the show, I’ve been inundated with people asking me when I’d go back. I’ve been so humbled by the public’s response.

“Even at my last concert, the audience were shouting, ‘We want you back on Loose Women!’”

New magazine state that it’s expected that she’ll rejoin the show in January of next year, alongside regulars including Carol Vorderman, Andrea McLean, Denise Welch, Carol McGiffin, Lisa Maxwell, Sally Lindsay, Janet Street-Porter and Jenny Eclair.

Jane added, “It’s such a privilege to return to Loose Women.

“I am so thrilled to be able to work with the girls again and to be back with the viewers.”

Jane’s career in television of course began when she was contacted by BBC programme maker Chris Terrill, who asked her to be the star of his docu-soap, The Cruise.

The show was an overnight success, with each installment watched by an average of 14 million viewers.

Jane became so popular with viewers, that even her wedding to Henrik Brixen in 1998 was televised by the BBC, but the couple have since divorced.

In addition to joining the panel of Loose Women, Jane’s has also previously presented talent quest, Star for a Night, which helped launch the careers of singers Joss Stone and Alexandra Burke, who of course later went on to win The X Factor.

Are you pleased she’s coming back to Loose Women?