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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Niamh Spence

Jane McDonald glows as she admits she has 'dream job' at British Soap Awards

Loose Women star Jane McDonald made sure she was the centre of attention as she hosts this year's British Soap Awards.

The former Loose Women star, who's also appeared on Channel 5 for her cruise ship series, will be hosting the soap celebration for the first time tonight.

The music icon looked glamorous as she posed for snaps in a floor length fitted red velvet gown that hugged her curves. The 60-year-old showed off her ample cleavage with a flattering v-neckline for the stunning dress.

Her trademark brunette hair was perfectly styled into loose waves as she smiled for the camera on the red carpet in Manchester before she played host for the evening.

Jane McDonald will host the British Soap Awards tonight for the first time as she takes over from Phillip Schofield (David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)
The 60-year-old singer wore a fitted red velvet dress that reached the floor (Dave Hogan/Hogan Media/REX/Shutterstock)

Speaking at the ceremony, Jane joked: "We're so close to the Rovers [Return], we can still smell Betty's hotpot!"

The cruise ship singer has taken over hosting the soap celebration in Manchester from Phillip Schofield following his dramatic exit from ITV last month.

Schofield stepped down from his role of 21 years on This Morning before it later emerged he had lied to ITV and close friends about his affair with a younger coworker. As a result, ITV and Schofield have parted ways completely, with a devastated Schofield describing himself as "broken" in tell-all interviews this week.

Alongside his roles on This Morning and Dancing On Ice, Schofield had also presented the British Soap Awards for ITV since 2006. In the wake of his affair drama, ITV announced Jane McDonald would be taking over as this year's host.

Following the announcement that she would be hosting this year's Soap Awards, Jane took to her Instagram page to speak out on the news and share her excitement.

The cruise ship singer is a self confessed soap fan (PA)
The former Loose Women star revealed she's "excited" to host the prestigious soap awards (Getty Images)

She wrote: "I'm so excited to be this year's host for The British Soap Awards!!

"Everyone knows how much I LOVE my soaps, this year I’ve been honoured to be mentioned in Corrie, EastEnders and Emmerdale so this is just a dream come true.

"I can’t wait to see all our wonderful soap nominees and celebrate all their hard work with them - roll on the awards, I can’t wait!"

Programmes including Coronation Street, Doctors, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks will all be battling out for awards in a number of categories, including Best British Soap, as voted for by the public.

Soap stars are also up for a number of gongs including Best Villain, Best Leading Performer and Best Young Performer.

Viewers at home can catch up on the awards when it airs on ITV and ITVX on Tuesday 6 June at 8pm.

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