Alex Jones: 'I never realised how hard it would be to juggle it all as a working mother'
Alex Jones, 41, is a co-presenter on The One Show alongside Matt Baker. She lives in London with her husband Charlie and one-year-old son Teddy. She speaks to the Telegraph about a typical day in her life
Teddy is my alarm clock. Each morning he wakes Charlie and me, then we cuddle him in bed for 30 minutes, and feed him while having a cup of tea ourselves.
When one of us gets ready, the other entertains Teddy – when I’m in the shower he’ll often slide the door open and get in with me in his onesie. For breakfast, Charlie makes us a smoothie and then I’ll put Teddy down for a nap, catch up on emails and read the brief for The One Show that evening. My work routine kicks in after 1pm, when I go to the studio, leaving Teddy with our nanny, Jess.
When I arrive, we have a production meeting, during which Matt and I suggest changes to the script and share ideas. Then I go off for a run in Regent’s Park and afterwards, head into make-up, ready for rehearsal. During the day, I wear minimal make-up, just Bare Minerals mascara, blusher and Rodial lip balm, but I wear a full face when on air.
The first thing I do when the show ends is change into trainers and head straight to my car. On a good day, I get home at 8pm and Teddy will be asleep or Charlie will be putting him down. Then we sit down for dinner (usually salad and fish, or a curry).
Returning to work after having Teddy was lovely – like I hadn’t been away – but within an hour I started to make unrealistic promises without realising how hard it would be to juggle it all.
That’s why these days I value little things, like sitting down with Charlie after work on Fridays – we’ll have a G&T and sometimes stay up chatting until 3am, then realise we have to get up in three hours! But we did a lot of that before we had Teddy, so we don’t feel like we’re missing out.
Alex's must-haves
My shopping splurge was... My Chanel Classic Handbag. I treated myself when I started on The One Show. £3,990 (chanel.com)
My wardrobe staple is... A denim shirt – I can’t live without them. I have many variations. £175, M.i.h Jeans (m.i.h-jeans.com)
I unwind with... A G&T. I have one or two on a Friday night, always with Fever-Tree tonic. £3 for 4x200ml (sainsburys.co.uk)
I couldn't live without...A hot-water bottle. When we film outdoors, I wear a vest and tuck one inside! £45, The White Company (thewhitecompany.com)
I swear by...Rodial’s Glam Balm Lip. I wear very little make-up when I’m not at work, but always use this. £17 (amazon.co.uk)
My five rules to live by
Treat people as you would like to be treated yourself.
Forgive easily – bickering doesn’t get you far, so it’s often better to move on.
Don’t sleep with a phone nearby. We’ve banned phones from the room when Teddy is with us.
Prioritise your time – for me, that means putting family first.
Smile. It will make you look less tired and more friendly.
‘Winging It!’ by Alex Jones (Lagom, £14.99) is out now
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