“MY wife Majella and I met when I was 37. I was late to marriage I suppose but I’d been building my career and was very focused on that. She had been married before. We met in Tenerife and we just clicked; it was pretty instant. I proposed on Christmas Day and we got married in November in 2002.
We have great fun together. We allow each other to be their own person, we just seem to blend really well. We respect each other and our likes and dislikes. I play golf and bridge, she doesn’t. When you are a bit older, you haven’t the same worries in a relationship as when you are young, you’re more secure in yourself.
This photo was taken when we were in Dublin about 10 years ago and it’s just a great picture of us. My stepchildren Siobhan and Michael were with us and we were just having a lovely day.
I would say I’ve had two life-changing meetings in my life; one was with Sean Reilly, who was my manager until he retired a few years ago, and the other was Majella, who is everything to me. Sean was fantastic and guided my career without exploiting me. We had a great relationship and he didn’t see me as a product but as a person. Sometimes that can happen when it’s a moneymaking thing, but never with him.
I could never have imagined I would have had the life I have had. I’ve sold millions of records, travelled the world and received an honorary MBE from the Queen in 2002. I’ve got to meet some heroes as well like Cliff Richard and Loretta Lynn. And Vera Lynn. I adored her music and I went to see her at the Royal Festival Hall in 1989.
I was going to go into banking but I loved singing. My sister Margaret sang and I would go along to gigs with her. We’d not had an easy time. My father, Francis, died when I was six years old. It was very sudden – he had a heart attack. My mum, Julia, was left to bring up five children on her own.
I was going to go into banking but I loved singing. My sister Margaret sang and I would go along to gigs with her. We’d not had an easy time. My father, Francis, died when I was six years old. It was very sudden – he had a heart attack. My mum, Julia, was left to bring up five children on her own.
She was a great character and very strong. She lived a long life; she was almost 95 when she died in 2014. Most of her life she had good health, even in her nineties she was able to travel places. She was proud of all her children and grandchildren.
During lockdown we’ve been in our home in Donegal. We’re very lucky to be where we are and the weather has been tremendous. The only hard part is seeing the news and all the people who have lost their lives.
I love touring and meeting the fans, so it’s sad I had to cancel my tour this year because of this. The very fact that now I will not be touring until next August is quite unusual. I’ve been doing live shows on Facebook – a bit of fun and people have appreciated it. It doesn’t compare to a live audience but it’s the best we can do in these circumstances. I’ve also been involved in the Smiling Sessions with lots of other entertainers hosting virtual sing-alongs for the elderly who are isolated or in care homes. People have been so creative, thinking how to do things to make a difference.
I know I’m so lucky, there’s a very small amount of people who can get to do what they love. I’ve achieved so much and done amazing things. I even did Strictly Come Dancing in 2015. Unbelievable! I’d always danced when I was young and I love dancing but I tell you the Strictly experience is so difficult. I was terrified but it was so exhilarating. There’s only one thing I’d love – to be in Coronation Street. I could go on for a wee cameo, propping up the bar in the Rovers. Now that would be really super.”
To donate to the Smiling Sessions charity, go to localgiving.org. For tickets for Daniel’s 2021 tour, visit danielodonnell.org/tour-dates.