Alex Jones broke down in tears on camera as she shared a "really emotional" insight about her family. The One Show host, who is set to front Have I Got News for You tonight, opened up about a touching gift her parents gave to her and her younger sister, Jennie, on their 18th birthdays.
Speaking on the These Three Things podcast, Alex explained that she has a very special watch: "Now, this watch is no ordinary watch. It is a watch that I have had on my wrist. I've only pulled it off this morning. Long story. Started doing weights. Don't ask. Awful."
She continued: "And I was pressing on it. So, I pulled it off, and it's upstairs in my daughter's room. But it's never off my wrist. And it's been on my wrist every day since my 18th birthday, when my parents bought it for me."
The story behind the watch
Alex explained that her parents "didn't have a lot of money" and that she didn't travel overseas until she was 14, with the family taking holidays in Pembrokeshire. On her 18th birthday, however, like her sister, her parents gave her a Rolex watch. Over time, she realised how much of a "big thing" the gift was, Rolex being a luxury watch brand where even the cheaper models can cost many thousands of pounds.
Alex recalled: "And mum and dad wrote in my card, and I'll always remember this. They said, 'We have had this plan since you were born'. So, oh my god, makes me really emotional. We've put money aside every month for this moment because we want you to be able to explore the world and travel. But if you ever get into trouble, you've got something to sell."
A sign of dedication
Alex broke down in tears, explaining that she thought it was an "amazing" gesture. She described it as a "sign of dedication and commitment to being really, really good parents".
It comes after a guest on The One Show asked Alex to "stop giving me a hard time" during a recent interview. On Monday (October 5), they welcomed Celebrity Traitors star Amol Rajan, who was among 21 celebrities competing in the Claudia Winkleman-helmed show and sadly became the first person to be "murdered". Alex asked: "You did lots of research before, didn't you? Do you think you'd overthought it?"
Amol playfully replied: "Stop giving me a hard time!" He added: "I've been knocked out of Traitors, first of all, millions of people have seen me humiliated." However, Alex quickly offered some reassurance to the former Radio 4 star, saying "it's not humiliating".
Catch Alex in Have I Got News for You on BBC One tonight (Friday, October 9), from 9.30pm to 10pm.
