Jane McDonald is guest of honour at Wakefield Hospice lunch

The meal, held at Cedar Court Hotel on Valentine’s Day, was a complete sell out with more than 370 guests in attendance and many fans had travelled far to see Jane.

She spent time with guests, spoke at the lunch and answered questions from the audience about her career and life.

Writing on her blog after the lunch, Jane said: “I was very honoured to be asked by Wakefield Hospice to speak at their fundraiser.

“The day was very emotional and it was so lovely for me to say a public thank you to the people who helped me through the most difficult time of my life.

“I had a lot of good friends in the audience and it was wonderful to be able to catch up with their lives and share my news with them. I also feel like I made some new friends on the day too.”

Tickets were £30 each which included a reception drink and meal, and the hosts gave their time free of charge so that patients could benefit more from every ticket sold.

Helen Knowles, director of fundraising at Wakefield Hospice, said: “Jane has supported the hospice for many years and we were absolutely delighted that she was able to take time out of her busy schedule to join us for the lunch.

“I would like to thank Jane, our host Pat Langham, our event sponsor Chadwick Lawrence and everyone that joined us for the lunch, which I am delighted to say has raised over £9,000 for patient care.”

The hospice provides care for people with complex symptoms and offers doctors, nurses and therapists.

Fans took to Twitter to express their love for Jane after she posted about the event and encouraged people to visit the Wakefield Hospice website.

Visit www.wakefieldhospice.org for more information on the charity and to get involved.