Alex Jones: I used to think it was a bit un-feminist to worry about fertility

The Welsh presenter is fronting a documentary series which sees her train as a fertility assistant at one of the UK’s top fertility clinics.
Alex Jones (Ian West/PA)
PA Wire
Naomi Clarke11 January 2023
The Weekender

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Alex Jones has revealed she previously thought it was “un-feminist” to worry about fertility as she had always been told to focus on her career while growing up.

The Welsh presenter, 45, started out in children’s TV and later hosted many major events including royal weddings, sport relief and Eurovision and is the regular co-host of BBC’s The One Show.

She welcomed her first child, Teddy, aged 39 in 2017 after filming the documentary Fertility And Me, in which she delved into the little-known facts about conception and the issues that can come with having a baby at an older age.

Jones has now fronted a documentary series on the W Channel which airs on Thursdays, titled Alex Jones: Making Babies, which sees her train as a fertility assistant at one of the UK’s top fertility clinics.

Speaking on the podcast How To Fail with Elizabeth Day, she said: “Throughout school, throughout your teenage years, throughout your twenties, the main thing is don’t get pregnant because that will mess up your career.

“Nobody at any point said ‘But you might want to think about it (fertility) if you want a family because actually, it is as important as a career.

“For some people it’s not more important but it’s up there. And the minute you decide that you want to have a baby, oh my gosh, the tables turn. It’s a 360.”

She added: “I thought it was a bit un-feminist in a way to even say ‘I’m worried about my fertility’ because you’re so busy carving out your career.

“Nobody wants to hear about the fact that you might want babies down the road.

“Slowly I think it’s shifting a bit, but that perception is very much still there.”

Within the series, Jones worked at King’s Fertility in London, learning about the process of IVF treatment and egg freezing.

Although she has not received fertility treatment, Jones has spoken openly about having a miscarriage less than a year after the birth of her first child.

In May 2019, she gave birth to another baby boy named Kit and in 2021 she welcomed her daughter Annie.

Jones revealed that she battled with herself if she was the right person to do this new documentary but the production team thought she was right because of her “empathy and warmth”.

However, the production had to be delayed as she discovered she was pregnant with her daughter Annie and thought it would not be sensitive to film couples going through IVF while she was expecting.

She added: “For ages, I thought ‘Gosh, I have to understand why I’m doing it. And I think it is because so many friends I’ve been through years and years of eternity struggles.

“We didn’t do IVF, but it was not straightforward.”

How To Fail with Elizabeth Day is available on all major podcasting platforms.

Alex Jones: Making Babies airs on the W Channel on Thursdays.

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