Alex Jones has revealed how her first time presenting the One Show nearly descended into chaos after a segment about beavers left their studio guest in hysterics. The Welsh presenter replaced Christine Lampard on the BBC magazine show back in 2010 but her debut in front of millions of viewers almost ended in disaster as she fought to keep it together during the awkward moment.
Having welcomed Whoopi Goldberg to the One Show sofa alongside fellow new presenter Jason Manford, Alex's first show started well. However, her repeated use of the word 'beaver' gave the Sister Act star the giggles, forcing her to "go through the gamut of sad things" to stop herself from bursting out laughing herself.
She reflected on the memorable moment during her appearance on the Off Menu podcast, telling hosts Ed Gamble and James Acaster how she even thought about dead cats and dying of cancer in order to keep a straight face during her debut show. For more showbiz and TV news, sign up to our newsletter here
READ MORE: Alex Jones dumped ex on live TV after he lied to steal her interview with Angelina Jolie
Asked if she has ever found presenting the show stressful, she told the comedians: "I’m going to give you an insight into the first show I ever did. Picture the scene. 2010. I’m pretty nervous because there was this big build-up to it and our guest was dun-dun-dun, Whoopi Goldberg. So, you know, starting big.
"That was fine. She was in Sister Act and I’d seen Sister Act so we could chat away and she was absolutely lovely, everything you’d want Whoopi Goldberg to be. Even nicer than she is in Ghost, and she’s lovely in Ghost."
However, despite the promising start, a nature segment threatened to throw everything into chaos. "We had a VT on beavers," Alex explained. "This is day one. So, I repeatedly had to say the word ‘beavers’ which Whoopi Goldberg thought was absolutely hysterical and could not control herself.
"I was like, ‘oh my God, be professional’. I was thinking about all the sad things, I was pinching my wrist really hard, thinking of dead cats, really sad things, maybe I’ll die of cancer, all of this. I was going through the gamut of sad things to stop myself laughing because this is my first show, I can’t mess it up because Whoopi Goldberg finds the word ‘beaver’ funny".
Luckily for the 46-year-old, she got through the awkward moment and has gone on to be the show's longest-serving presenter. She has also remained on good terms with the EGOT winner, revealing that she now has an inside joke with her which she admitted was "cool".
"We did get to the end, unscathed," said Alex. "12 years later, I’m still there so it was alright." Asked if Whoopi had returned to the sofa since, she added: "Yeah and we always talk about that. She came in and said, 'how’s your beaver?' And I said, 'fine, how’s yours?'"
Off Menu is the latest podcast the presenter has appeared on to promote her new BBC show Reunion Hotel. Earlier this month, she revealed on the Dish podcast how she had dumped her ex Steve Jones on live TV after he stole an interview with Angelina Jolie away from her, as well as giving a rare insight into the early days of her marriage to her husband Charlie Thomson.
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