Gethin Jones, 46, is a TV presenter who was born in Cardiff. He began his career in 2002 at S4C, where he worked on children’s programmes such as Popty and Uned 5, before joining Blue Peter as a host in 2005. He is a presenter on Morning Live and The One Show and lives in Altrincham in south Manchester.
My parents were teachers and my dad was always really passionate about travel. Despite not having much spare cash to spend on holidays, he was determined to show the world to me and my older sister, Mererid. He would take us to places related to school projects, such as the waterways of Venice, the pyramids in Egypt and New York’s Statue of Liberty. I still love hearing about the history of a place and always join a city tour — even if that means gatecrashing it.
During my time presenting for S4C I travelled the breadth of Wales and was challenged to train as a pilot on the show Uned 5. I would fly 5,000ft above beautiful landscapes and get incredible views of the Usk Valley and Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa). Thankfully the travelling continued when I got a job at Blue Peter and I packed loads into the three and a half years I was there. This included six broken bones, four world records, passing out as a Marine, earning the naval officer pilot’s HGV licence and completing the commando yomp — which involved hiking 30 miles while carrying a full camping kit across Dartmoor.
Some of the most memorable trips during my time on the show were when I got to ride bareback with cowboys in El Paso, Texas, and when I nearly died while scaling the Spitzkoppe peaks in Namibia. The first attempt went fine, but the producer asked me to do it again so they could film a wide shot and I lost my bearings and got into difficulties because of how windy it was.
One day, I was doing a belly-dancing segment in the studio and asked myself: “What am I doing?” I had made a promise that once I stopped enjoying the job I would say so. I went straight upstairs to the boss to tell him I was leaving — unfortunately still dressed in the belly-dancing outfit.
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Since moving to Manchester, I’ve become a frequent visitor to the Lake and Peak Districts. I drive a Bonneville motorbike and I love going over the Snake Pass near Glossop, where it’s often freezing cold. It’s one of my favourite things to do and I’ll go to a pub for a nice meal before coming back.
I went to Afghanistan four times while filming a series for the BBC and hung around with a couple of boys on the medical emergency response team. One day, they went out on a mission and didn’t return. When that happens, once the family is informed, you make a little cross for them out of bullets. During a later trip to Africa, I made a bullet-casing keepsake in their honour that I carry with me; I think about them daily.
LA is a transformative place — I visited for a break and ended up living there for three years. Santa Monica is pretty special and the California coastline is amazing. Driving up the 101 to San Francisco and into wine country, or San Diego, Santa Barbara, Santa Clarita and Monterey, was stunning. I honestly think the quality of life in LA is so good that it added years to my life.
Sometimes I think I see the world differently to how other people see it. I took one girl to Amsterdam and she mentioned a nice restaurant she knew in the area. I replied that a nearby pillar was used for corporal punishment in the 1700s, and how long a person had to stand on top while people threw missiles at them depended on the crime they had committed. Needless to say, we’re not together any more.
I struggle with luxury and find it a bit too much. I went to Dubai for work and when I was picked up from the plane I didn’t see my luggage again until I got to my room. I was so embarrassed. I was born to carry the coal, not sit in front of a fire and watch it burn.
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Instead, I’m a fan of the rough-and-ready experience and I’ve camped in some strange and dangerous places. In Kenya, I had near-misses with hippos and later a lion passing my tent at night. I also have a scar on my ankle from when an alligator attacked me in a Louisiana swamp.
Apparently, the alligator wasn’t hungry, otherwise I wouldn’t have survived. I also built a shelter on my own in the Bolivian jungle because the two people I was with weren’t that interested in helping. During its construction, I received a phone call asking me to go on Strictly Come Dancing. I thought, it can’t be as hard as this. I was wrong.
Gethin Jones is supporting the charity Hats On For Mind, which donates all its profits to the mental health charity Mind. Its hats are available online and at GO Outdoors, Blacks, Millets and Fishing Republic (gooutdoors.co.uk)
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