Alex Jones admitted she ‘definitely’ wished she had taken more maternity leave when she had son Teddy, two, in 2017.
Speaking candidly about her pregnancy with Good Housekeeping magazine’s April issue on Wednesday, the One Show host, 42, also claimed that she felt she’d ‘made unrealistic promises.’
When asked if she wish she’d had more time off during her maternity leave in 2017 after choosing only to have three months off, Alex said: ‘Definitely. I’d made unrealistic promises before I went off to have a baby.
Candid: On Wednesday, Alex Jones said she ‘made unrealistic promises’ when she only took three months maternity leave after the birth of her first son Teddy in 2017
‘I’d never had a child before; I had no idea. And I had this fear it would interfere, that I’d have to compromise my work life.
‘I now realise that was ridiculous because in fact I think it makes you better at work. It makes you a little bit more resilient which is what you have to be in this industry. And in life!’
Alex and husband Charlie Thomson share sons Teddy and Kit, nine months, together, and the TV personality decided to take nine months of maternity leave after the birth of her second son.
She came back to work in January, and told fans on Instagram that she was feeling ‘anxious’ but ‘excited’ emotions to return to the One Show in a sweet post, where she shared an image with her children.
Looking back: Alex said she ‘definitely’ would have taken more time off, but at the time she ‘had this fear it would interfere, that I’d have to compromise my work life’
Alongside a black and white photo of her holding baby Kit and Teddy, two, Alex wrote: ‘Back to work today. So many different feelings. Anxious about leaving the boys, excited to be back on the show.
‘As soon as I put lipstick on this morning, little Ted looked at me with his huge brown eyes and asked “where are you going mummy?”
‘It nearly killed me, but it’s time to go back and I’m looking forward to going back to a job I love, but my goodness, I’ll miss these two. So here we go…the juggle begins.’
Adorable: Alex and husband Charlie Thomson share sons Teddy and Kit, nine months, and the TV personality decided to take nine months of maternity leave after the birth of her second son
Working mum: Alex came back to work in January, and told fans on Instagram that she was feeling ‘anxious’ but ‘excited’ emotions to return to the One Show
For more: Read the full interview in the April issue of Good Housekeeping, on sale now
Going on to say she and her husband didn’t want to add to their brood, Alex claimed that two were ‘enough.’
She explained: ‘Charlie is adamant that for the sake of the planet, two children is enough.
‘And I think I’m too old to have another child now, anyway.
‘It happens for a lot of people and good for them, but we’re just glad we have two healthy children.’
While she said of keeping the spark alive in their marriage: ‘All it takes is a couple of hours together to reset ourselves.
‘It’s always hard leaving the boys behind, but you need those times to remember who your partner in crime is in all of this.’
‘For me personally, some days I don’t think it’s possible. It’s a struggle. I try to be the best mother I can be, but some days I’m absolutely awful at it.
‘Life isn’t this series of perfect days where work is going amazingly and you’re a brilliant wife…. that’s how it is for everybody I think, but people are just too scared to say it.”
Read the full interview in the April issue of Good Housekeeping, on sale now.
Family life: Going on to talk about if she and her husband wanted to add to their brood, Alex claimed that two were ‘enough’, and added that she felt she was ‘too old’ for more children (pictured 2015)
Wow: Alex looked radiant in the stunning shoot as she wowed in a white trouser suit