Daniel O’Donnell Opens Up About Wife Majella’s Battle With Breast Cancer and Depression: “I Was Terrified I Was Going to Lose Her”
In a rare and deeply emotional interview, Daniel O’Donnell has spoken with heartbreaking honesty about the moment he feared he might lose his beloved wife Majella to breast cancer, and how he learned that love alone cannot “fix” depression — but being present can make all the difference.
The couple, who have long been admired for their openness and strength, faced one of their greatest challenges in 2013, when Majella was diagnosed with breast cancer. The diagnosis, Daniel recalls, was “a terrible shock” that shook their world. “We all have that fear,” he said softly. “When you hear the word ‘cancer,’ your first thought is — is she going to die?”
Majella, now 59, underwent treatment and was given the all-clear in August of that year, but the experience left deep emotional marks. Though she remains in good health, she has been candid about the lingering fear that the disease could one day return. “That fear never completely leaves you,” she admitted in a previous interview.
For Daniel, who has always spoken openly about his faith, it was a time of both spiritual testing and strength. “It was hard to pray,” he confessed. “When you’re the one in pain, or watching someone you love suffer, the words don’t come easy. But what carried us was knowing that so many people were praying for us. It’s a strange thing — when you can’t find your own prayers, you rely on the prayers of others.”
Through that ordeal, Daniel learned the quiet power of presence — something he would later carry into Majella’s ongoing battle with depression. In 2014, after recovering from cancer, Majella founded Donegal Mind Wellness, a charity devoted to promoting mental health awareness. Her courage in speaking publicly about her struggles inspired thousands, but Daniel admits that as a husband, the journey wasn’t always easy.
“I had to learn that I couldn’t fix it,” he said. “When someone you love is suffering, your first instinct is to make it better. I used to ask her, ‘Do you want this, do you want that?’ But I realised she wasn’t in a place to tell me what she needed. So I stopped asking — I just started being there.”
With quiet devotion, Daniel adapted his support to her needs. “If she wanted tea, I’d make it and leave it beside her. If she wanted chocolate, I’d leave that too. If she wanted to go out, I’d go with her. But I wouldn’t say, ‘Let’s go out, it’ll do you good,’ because only she knows what feels right.”
His advice to others caring for loved ones with depression is gentle but wise: “Don’t try to fix it. Just be there. Be close enough that they can reach out when they’re ready. Sometimes love means doing less, and just letting them know you’re near.”
Majella has often credited Daniel as her rock — a constant, patient presence through both her darkest hours and her greatest recoveries. And for Daniel, that steadfast love is simply what marriage is about. “We’ve been through a lot together,” he said. “You face it as one. You lean on faith, on love, and on the people who remind you that you’re not alone.”
Today, both Daniel and Majella use their platform to encourage others — through music, advocacy, and conversation — to find hope in life’s hardest moments. Their story isn’t one of perfection, but of perseverance: a marriage built on faith, compassion, and the courage to keep showing up, even when words fall short.
As Daniel summed it up with quiet grace: “You can’t fix everything. But you can love someone through anything — and sometimes, that’s the greatest healing of all.”