Alex Jones made a frank admission about her future as she reflects on becoming a mum for the first time at 39.
The One Show star and husband Charlie Thomson welcomed son Teddy into the world in 2017. While second son Kit was born in 2019, with daughter Annie born in 2021 when Alex was 44.
And while the star says she doesn’t feel like an “older mum”, she does admit her relationship with her grandchildren could look very different to how her parents are with her three children. Although she believes becoming a mum later in life meant she felt better prepared.
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Speaking on the Netmums podcast, the 48-year-old said: “I really appreciate having the children, I really love having them. I think I have more patience than I would have in my late twenties, early thirties.
“I do look at mum, and mum and I are really close, and she had me when she was 24, so mum and dad are still super active and they’re very hands-on with the kids. I think, ‘That won’t be me’, it might be me, who knows, but it probably won’t be.”
Alex however admits there is always “give or take” in life. She says her own mum had to sacrifice her career, while Alex has spent almost three decades on television screens, having started out as a Welsh language broadcaster.
She added: “I won’t be the same age when my children, if we’re lucky enough to have grandchildren, have children, but it’s just what happened. Mum didn’t have the career she wanted and there’s always give or take.
“But I’m really happy where we are. I don’t feel like an older mum.”
Alex has been open about her experiences in motherhood, experiencing two miscarriages just 10 months after giving birth to Teddy. She described her third pregnancy with Annie as a "complete shock".
From a medical point of view, all of Alex’s pregnancies have been considered “geriatric” due to her age. Although she says older mothers have nothing to worry about.
Speaking to OK!, she said: “People get scared, and there are complications for some people, but if you’re lucky enough to get pregnant at 40-plus, there’s no reason in the world it shouldn’t be as wonderful as if you were 30.”
Alex believes having children earlier in life would have meant she struggled to deal with the “high-octane” lifestyle of an award-winning presenter. She added: “My job requires a certain level of fizz, so I’m quite used to a high-octane kind of life.
“Yes, being a mum can be tiring, but I feel I’d be just as tired if I was a younger mum because I was a lot more selfish in my twenties.I would have been frustrated not to be able to do my own thing, too. Now I feel so grateful to have had my children so I’m not frustrated. I put everything I’ve got into them, and it pays you back a thousand times over."
Alex, who works at 7pm most evenings, says she wants to show her daughter that you can be a “nurturing parent” who works. “Sometimes, I think, ‘God, I just wish I could be home to put them to bed,’ but on the other hand, I want them to see a mum who works,” Alex said.
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