Alex Jones has opened up about her shock at finding out she she gets paid significantly less than her One Show co-host, Matt Baker.
The reveal came as part of the BBC’s decision to publish the salaries of its top earners earlier this year, that showed the company commonly pays its male presenters more than their female counterparts.
While both Alex and Matt receive generous salaries from the broadcasting company, it was revealed that Matt makes around £50,000 a year, more than his co-host.
Read more: The One Show’s Alex Jones melts fans hearts with adorable photo of baby Teddy
The pay reveal showed that Alex sits in the £400,000 to £449,000 bracket, Matt is in the next bracket of £450,000 to £499,000.
Speaking to the Mirror about the discovery, she said “Matt and I have never discussed wages, but I assumed we got paid the same. I was quite shocked. I guess everybody else was.”
The difference, considering the two presenters share the same responsibilities and do the same work, is considerable.
But Alex has had her mind on other matters as well – she welcomed her first child in January, and is taking on a host of new work, including a book and a new TV show.
“It is amazing what you can manage when you become a parent,” she said. “You can achieve a lot more. Before, I don’t know what I was doing. Sitting around, wasting time.
“Now it’s more focused. I get a lot more out of life now that we have Ted. He pulled us into line.”
Alex was 39 when she gave birth to her son, Teddy, and has confessed it may not be as easy the second time around.
“It’s one of those things,” she said. “There is no way of knowing. I have every sympathy for people who go through it and have to go down the IVF route.
“Having lots of friends that have been through that, I have every sympathy with them. You just don’t know.
“It was easy the first time. Will it be as straightforward if we decide to have another baby? Who knows.”
Alex married insurance broker Charlie Thomson in 2015, and claims that there is a lot of scaremongering around the idea of getting pregnant later in life.
“Everybody knows your fertility goes down with age. That is a biological fact,” she said. “However, I do think there is an element of scaremongering. There are also a lot of cases, like myself, where there is a history of early menopause.
“Who knows if we try for a second baby whether it would be as straightforward again.”
She said women shouldn’t be judged for starting families later in life.
“I don’t think anyone puts off having children on purpose,” she said. “It’s just circumstances. People meet a bit later. Anybody who does want a family and hasn’t, should not be labelled as ‘career girls’, it’s because they haven’t met the right person.”
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Alex’s new show, The Secrets In My Family, is due to start next week on the W channel. The show revolves around people exploring unknown family histories, with the help of experts, and DNA research.