She said: “It’s devastating what is going on to the travel industry in general, you know it’s the cruising industry, all the staff on the cruise ships, the airlines, the travel agents – I mean travel agents are going through a terrible time as well. All we can do is live in hope.”

The singer was plugging her new album featuring songs from the end of her Cruising with Jane McDonald show, a section some regard as cult viewing.

More episodes of the show are still to air after filming was halted by the pandemic. “I’ve still got some to do, I’m back on water again. We’ve done one very recently in the UK and I must admit, I had an absolute blast,” she said. 

Asked if she sang her trademark breakout tune at the end, she said: “Of course I did!” but said viewers would “have to wait and see” which song it was.

She confessed she had been sceptical about singing at the end of each show: “I thought this was an awful idea, I was frightened to death.”

McDonald revealed her love for her home country despite travelling the globe.

“People often say to me where’s your favourite place in the whole world and it’s right here; it’s the United Kingdom, we have the most beautiful, beautiful country.”

McDonald spent a week cruising the Thames and found some “marvellous” places to stop during filming.

“I want to do a series here,” I would love to do a travel show of the UK,” she added. She said she was anxious for cruising to start again.

“I certainly hope so, it’s such a massive industry and people love cruising. Once you’ve done a cruise and fall in love with that ship you will go for years and years.”