Daniel O’Donnell Opens Up on Wife Majella’s Cancer Battle: “We Worried She Was Going to Die”
Irish music legend Daniel O’Donnell has revealed the devastating fear he faced when his wife, Majella O’Donnell, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013 — admitting he believed he could lose her.
Speaking to the Irish Sunday Mirror, Daniel recalled the moment doctors delivered the news. “It was a terrible shock when we got the initial diagnosis, we all have this thing we worried was she going to die,” he said. “But the medical people were very reassuring and hopeful for her and you have to believe, ‘Yes, there’s a positive way to look at this.’ It was quite an ordeal to go through and not everyone is as lucky as we were.”
Majella, who bravely shaved her head on The Late Late Show to raise money for cancer charities, received the all-clear in August of that year. But the ordeal left lasting scars. Now 59, she admits she lives with the constant fear that the disease might return and has openly shared her ongoing battle with depression.
Daniel, a devout Catholic, said that his faith and his local church community carried him through the darkest moments. “At that time people were praying and it certainly doesn’t damage the whole process,” he said. “A lot of the time when you’re in trouble yourself it’s hard to pray… that’s why you pray for others. When people need a prayer it’s lovely that you can pray for them.”
Majella has since become a strong mental health advocate, launching Donegal Mind Wellness in 2014. Daniel says the key to supporting her has been learning to simply “be there” rather than trying to fix things. “You can’t fix depression for anybody, it’s very hard to understand it when you don’t have it,” he explained. “If it’s tea she wants I leave it there, if it’s chocolate I leave it there and if she wants it she’ll pick it up. My advice is don’t try to make things better until the person is ready. Just be present.”
The Donegal singer, who recently set a world record as the first artist to chart a new album every year for 32 consecutive years, continues to balance his career with family life. His latest album, Halfway To Paradise — a collection of songs from the 1950s and 60s — recently debuted at No. 5 in the UK charts.
Though he admits he is slowing down his touring schedule, Daniel has no regrets about the path his life has taken. As step-grandfather to Majella’s grandchildren, he says he feels no absence from not having children of his own. “They just see me as Gaga,” he smiled. “Majella’s children have brought so much joy to me, and now our grandchildren too. I’ve always been surrounded by children. I don’t ever think I’ve lost out not having my own.”
Daniel also reflected on his enduring friendships within the music world, including his long bond with Sir Cliff Richard, who he continues to support after the singer was falsely accused of abuse in 2014. “I was only talking to him last week on his 79th birthday and we’ve arranged to see him in March,” he said.
With a planned tour next year, Daniel says he hopes to spend more time at home in Donegal, focusing on music, faith, and family. “I’ve been very fortunate in the life that I’ve had and this was to be the way my life was meant to be,” he added. “For everything we’ve come through, I’m just grateful.”
Would you like me to expand this into a 600–700 word feature that blends Majella’s cancer journey with Daniel’s reflections on faith, family, and career longevity — almost like a magazine-style profile?