Born:
February 12, 1978
in
Cardiff
Best Known For:
Blue Peter.
Early-life:
Born Gethin Clifford Jones in Cardiff on February 12, 1978. His mother is a violin teacher and his father a headmaster; he has an older sister called Mererid. Welsh is his first language and he is an accomplished musician - he plays the violin and piano. During his time at Manchester Metropolitan University, Gethin was captain of the university's rugby team and in his final year, he was offered trials by Sale RFC.
Career:
Jones' first foray into TV came at S4C when he began presenting children's programmes such as Popty, Mas Draw and Uned 5. His big break came in 2005 when he became the 31st Blue Peter presenter. During his three and a half years on the show, he flew with the Red Arrows, fought as a samurai warrior in Japan, and played the violin at the Proms with the BBC Philharmonic. He raised money for Sport Relief in 2008 by climbing the four highest peaks in the UK. He has since established himself as a presenter on a number of programmes, including BBC Young Musician of the Year, The National Lottery: Big 7, Soccer Aid, Cwis Meddiant, Sell Me the Answer, and Daybreak. In 2007, he participated in Strictly Come Dancing, finishing third with partner Camilla Dallerup. He has also appeared in pantomime and played the narrator in a production of The Rocky Horror Show.
Quote:
"What Blue Peter did to me as a person was ridiculous. It pushed me to the limits and I didn't know what my limits were."
Trivia:
Jones was an Olympic torchbearer in the torch relay before the 2012 London Olympics. Away from TV, he likes to play football, tennis and golf. He was briefly engaged to singer Katherine Jenkins.