Podcast Summary: Great Company with Jamie Laing

Episode: ALEX JONES: Having Kids Later In Life, The One Show and Davina McCall Invigilating My University Exams
Date: November 19, 2025
Host: Jamie Laing
Guest: Alex Jones

Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, Jamie Laing sits down with Alex Jones, beloved presenter of The One Show, for a warm, open-hearted conversation about her journey from a shy Welsh child to household TV star. Alex shares stories about finding her confidence, breaking into TV, balancing late motherhood with career, mental health, relationships, and what truly matters in life. Listeners get a rare glimpse behind the “TV persona” into Alex’s authentic, empathetic, and quietly resilient self.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introversion, Authenticity, and Public Persona

• Alex describes herself as "still an introvert, still shy," despite her public-facing role [(00:00)].

• She shares how, even after years in TV, she feels people only see her surface:

  “People don’t really know me… I’ve managed to stay on this surface level where people go, there you are, that’s that nice girl on that show. But people don’t really know me.”
  — Alex Jones (10:09)

• Jamie highlights Alex’s warmth and openness, calling her “a lantern… people like to come to you and they feel comfortable around you” [(21:46)].

• Alex prefers genuine, small group connections:

  “I love people I feel comfortable with… but if you say, ‘do you want to go to this party or premiere,’ no thank you. Hell.”
  — Alex Jones (22:03)

2. Childhood in Wales: Shyness, Dreams, and Ambition

• Alex vividly recounts a painfully shy upbringing. She credits her parents, who had her young, for giving her both loving care and down-to-earth values [(18:33)].

  “Painfully shy, to the point where my parents thought, there’s something wrong with her… I was really struggling to speak at all, even in school.”
  — Alex Jones (19:37)

• Despite her introversion, she harbored big ambitions and daydreams:

  “I remember using Dad’s calculator and pretending it was a phone by my bed. I’d order room service with this phone that was a calculator… I always thought there’s more out there than this. Quietly, kind of, I guess, ambitious.” (23:12)

3. Breaking into Television: Tenacity, Letters & Davina McCall

• Alex talks about her relentless approach to entering TV:

  “I wrote so many letters to all these different people… spent days looking at companies, finding the person I needed, typing out letters, sending pictures, sending a CV with bugger all on it…”
  — Alex Jones (13:03)

• Her first TV “taste” was as a contestant on Prickly Heat, hosted by Davina McCall and Julian Clary. In a memorable twist, Davina invigilated Alex’s university finals in Magaluf:

  “Davina was the invigilator. ‘Ten minutes left, pens down!’ and they filmed it all.”
  — Alex Jones (15:41)

• She credits the industry’s kindness, noting how Davina’s handwritten note has inspired her to “do the best [she] can” with young people today [(17:51)].

4. Career Longevity & Self-Improvement

• Alex sees herself as “self-taught,” learning by watching back her own work, making notes and pushing through discomfort:

  “You have to push through [hating seeing yourself] to get to the bits that… you change. Only way to get better is by listening back or watching. I’m still learning. I still don’t think I’m good at it.”
  — Alex Jones (8:13)

• Discusses the “imposter syndrome” of expecting answers at every life stage, only to find “everyone’s guessing”—something Jamie relates to at turning 30.

• Shares the importance of resilience and standing out—especially for today's generation, who can connect more easily but face “a saturated sea.”

  “Resilience, as you say, is key.”
  — Alex Jones (13:35)

5. Family, Independence, and Relationships

• Alex reflects on her parents’ sacrifices—her mother gave up her ambitions after losing her own mother, urging Alex instead:

  “Do something you love… That was probably the biggest gift I had.”
  — Alex Jones (32:42)

• On having children later in life:

  “I did. I was a dinosaur… You can’t choose when you fall in love with the person who will become the father of your children. He came to me when I was 32.”
  — Alex Jones (35:35)

• Describes meeting her now-husband Charles at a fancy dress party (“cowboy and all”), and knowing “by drink number three—I knew he was the one.”

• Shares her anxieties about maternity leave and feeling “replaceable” at work [(44:35)].

• Her mantra on relationships:

  "We don't run from each other. We face it all head on. ...We stick and we dig in and we do it."
  — Alex Jones (51:51)

6. Mental Health: Supporting a Loved One

• Jamie sensitively raises Alex’s experience supporting her husband through mental health issues. Alex admits making mistakes, initially failing to understand the severity:

  “I thought I’d been depressed, but then I saw it, and I thought, no, I haven’t.”
  — Alex Jones (48:16)

  “All you can do is... let go of judgment ...I had to bite my tongue so hard from saying, ‘Come on, let’s go for a walk!’ Oh my God, I was doing it so wrong.”
  — Alex Jones (50:18)

• On advice for supporters:

  “If you know that person, you know that it’s an illness, it’s not them… Everything is a phase. This too shall pass... but you’ve just got to dig in.”
  — Alex Jones (52:18)

• On changed understanding:

  “Sometimes, you have to witness it close up to really understand what depression is.”
  — Alex Jones (47:41)

7. Life, Work, and Joy

• Alex finds joy in simple things, relishes busyness:

  “I like being busy, but it’s busy with all the good stuff… On a Sunday, making an apple crumble with the kids in the kitchen… that's where I feel happiest.”
  — Alex Jones (68:45)

• On her career:

  “People ask, why are you still there? I’m not bored, I still feel I need to prove myself. You only need to leave when you feel done.”
  — Alex Jones (45:14)

8. Women, Age, and Motherhood

• Alex talks plainly about social pressures:

  “As a woman, it feels like if you decide not to have kids, people look… strange. Then, when you do, and later in life, people say ‘That’s a bit [late]’… It’s a weird balance, you can’t win.”
  — Alex Jones (35:40)

• She waited until she felt ready, met the right partner at 32, and had her first child at 38—“I wouldn’t change it. It’s just how life happened.” (43:39)

9. The One Show: Tenure, Team, and Recent Challenges

• On 15 years at The One Show:

  “I've grown up in front of our audience. From being in a bloody cowboy costume at 32... to becoming a wife, to becoming a mum, they’ve seen it all.”
  — Alex Jones (45:30)

• Regarding recent “revolving door” of presenters and workplace issues (re: Jermaine Jenas):

  “We didn’t know... The BBC dealt with it and I think if people feel uncomfortable, they have to deal with it. If it was my daughter... I would hope that company... would deal with it. And that’s what happened.”
  — Alex Jones (59:29-60:02)

• She acknowledges she’s been lucky not to experience “horrible” workplace incidents herself but has “a lot of respect for the girls that did [speak up]... It’s an incredibly brave thing to do.” (62:39)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Being Self-Taught and Imperfect:

  “I’ve just been making it up for the last kind of 20 years.”
  — Alex Jones (07:17)

• On TV Dreams in Small-Town Wales:

  “You couldn’t say out loud in South Wales 'I want to be a presenter.' You’d get laughed out the welfare hall.”
  — Alex Jones (31:53)

• On Parental Love:

  “My 6-year-old son said [before the National Television Awards], ‘Mama, you look so pretty.’ ...That will stick with me forever.”
  — Alex Jones (64:48)

• On Welsh Swear Words:

  “The word for a jellyfish in Welsh is ‘contamor.’ That means ‘cunt of the sea.’”
  — Alex Jones (69:47)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic | |---------------|-----------| | 00:00–10:00 | Introversion, Shyness, and TV Persona | | 13:00–18:00 | Writing Letters, First TV Appearances, Davina McCall | | 18:30–25:30 | Childhood, Parents, Quiet Ambition | | 31:00–35:30 | Industry Advice, Parental Encouragement, Career Obstacles | | 35:30–46:00 | Relationships, Having Kids Later, Meeting Her Husband | | 46:00–54:30 | Supporting Mental Health, Lessons Learned | | 54:49–61:00 | Career Journey, The One Show, Presenter Scandal | | 64:12–69:50 | Quick-Fire Questions: Home, Compliments, Fears, Guilty Pleasures, Welsh Swear Words |

Tone & Atmosphere

The conversation is warm, candid, humorous, and empathetic—Alex’s self-deprecating wit pairs beautifully with Jamie’s friendly, curious interviewing style. They showcase genuine vulnerability, moving from laughter about “Contamor” (Welsh jellyfish) to honest admissions about mental health, motherhood, and the realities of media careers.

Summary for New Listeners

This episode offers a heartfelt, insightful deep-dive into Alex Jones’s journey—from a shy Welsh girl to a cherished TV anchor and mother of three. Expect honest talk on family, resilience, industry grit, and the importance of empathy in supporting loved ones. Alex’s humility, humor, and perspective will resonate with anyone seeking comfort and inspiration—even, or perhaps especially, if you haven’t caught her on The One Show.

Memorable Closing Moment

• On what she likes most about herself:

  “I am happy with the people I love doing something super boring. … That's where I feel happiest.”
  — Alex Jones (68:45)

(End of summary)