Published: 8 December 2012
The One Show presenter Alex Jones:
The prized possession you value above all others...A Rolex watch my parents gave me on my 18th birthday. It was way more expensive than they could afford. I only take it off to have a bath.
The unqualified regret you wish you could amend...Not keeping up with writing my diaries. I have 12 of them – I wrote several pages every day from when I was ten until my 20s.
The way you would spend your fantasy 24 hours, with no travel restrictions...I’d have fresh fruit for breakfast on the beach in the Maldives with my boy- friend Charlie [Thomson, an insurance broker from New Zealand], then explore Paris’s antique shops. After lunch with all my family on a huge yacht cruising near Cannes, I’d go horse riding through the mountains of Arizona, then head to New York at night with a group of friends. I’d drink Espresso Martinis and we’d have a sophisticated dinner before going clubbing all night.
The temptation you wish you could resist...Being the last to leave a party for fear of missing out!
The book that holds an everlasting resonance...The Twits by Roald Dahl inspired my love of reading when I was eight. It reminded me of our neighbours, who also lacked a bit of care in the personal hygiene department!
The priority activity if you were the Invisible Woman for a day...I’d definitely spend the day with the Queen to get a sense of what she’s really like. I bet she’s a right character.
The pet-hate that makes your hackles rise...Having to give directions to minicab drivers. I’ve only lived in London for two years but I’m always having to tell them which way to go.
The film you can watch time and time again...The Poseidon Adventure. I love the drama and the people all pull- ing together to survive. The scene where Shelley Winters dies a heroine always has me welling up.
The person who has influenced you most...I learnt my values from my mum Mary and father Alun, but partic- ularly from my mum. She had a tough childhood and couldn’t achieve all the things she wanted to in life, so she taught me to strive to do a job I love.
The figure from history for whom you’d most like to buy a pie and a pint...Coco Chanel. She came up with beautiful designs that women will probably still be wearing in 100 years’ time.
The piece of wisdom you would pass on to a child...You are never fully dressed without a smile.
The unlikely interest that engages your curiosity...Photography. I won a national Kodak competition when I was 12 for a picture of the Acropolis in Athens.
The treasured item you lost and wish you could have again...A tape record- ing of my sister Jennie and I singing a musical we put together when I was 12 and she was nine. I lost it at university.
The unending quest that drives you on...To be better at everything – as a friend, as a daughter, and in my job. I’m hard on myself: each day I look back on what I did the day before and criticise it.
The poem that touches your soul...An anonymous Welsh poem called Dal Fy Llaw, which means Hold My Hand. It’s about a couple supporting one another through all the hardships of life. I read it at a friend’s wedding a few months ago and sobbed all the way through.
The misapprehension about yourself you wish you could erase...People think of me as fun and flighty but underneath there’s a deep-thinking, hard-working and very sensible girl.
The event that altered the course of your life and character...The call from Sandy Smith, editor of The One Show, on 8 July 2010 telling me I’d got the job. I was on Brighton beach and I screamed with excitement. He had to tell me to shut up because it was still a secret!
The crime you would commit knowing you could get away with it...I’d love to be able to park anywhere I fancy because I’m forever getting tickets.
The song that means most to you...California Dreamin’ by The Mamas & The Papas. It reminds me of great family holidays travelling through France in our camper van in my teens.
The happiest moment you will cherish forever...Seeing Jennie holding her baby son, Dash, when he was born last year. It was like she’d grown up from a girl to a mother overnight.
The saddest time that shook your world...My maternal grandad Trevor dying after a stroke in 1998 when he was 74. My mum let out the most awful noise, a real guttural howl of pain.
The unfulfilled ambition that continues to haunt you...I’d love to star in a fabulous West End musical like Cabaret but it might be best if I mime as I can’t carry a tune too well!
The philosophy that underpins your life...When the going gets tough, keep going. You have to have determination.
The order of service at your funeral...I’ll have a few ashes scattered in Lon- don and the rest over the Black Moun- tains in Wales to reflect my split life. I’ll have either Moon River or The Dying Swan played. I want my funeral to be a joyous occasion, but I’d also quite like people to be a bit sad.
The way you want to be remembered...As a trustworthy friend who could be relied upon in any situation.
The Plug...Alex presents The One Show weekdays on BBC1 at 7pm.
copy to come copy to come copy to come copy to come copy to come copy to come
Copyright: Rob McGibbon/Accessinterviews.com 2011 (2014). All rights reserved