Alex Jones, the beloved host of The One Show, is taking on a project that’s just as big as her career — renovating a grand country mansion. The 49-year-old TV star, who is reportedly one of the top contenders to replace Tess Daly or Claudia Winkleman as the new host of Strictly Come Dancing, is documenting her journey as she transforms a stunning £2.8 million Georgian property in Ascot, Berkshire. Alex and her husband, insurance broker Charlie Thomson, purchased the four-bedroom home in July 2024. But Alex, eager to seal the deal, made the bold move of buying the property before her husband even had a chance to see it.
In a candid chat with The Times, Alex shared that she had initially visited the house alone while Charlie was in New Zealand. “I wrote a letter to the elderly owner, Penelope, and explained why the house would be a wonderful home for our family,” she revealed. To Alex’s delight, Penelope agreed to sell her beloved home to the family, stating, “You’re exactly the type of person I want to sell this house to.”
When Charlie returned from New Zealand, Alex broke the news: “I’ve sort of bought a house, so we better go and see it.” Luckily for Alex, Charlie loved it just as much as she did. The property, which was once owned by iconic Beatles members John Lennon and Ringo Starr, was love at first sight for the couple. The house is set in a highly sought-after area, with properties in the neighboring Sunningdale averaging a price tag of £1.3 million.
Alex and Charlie, who have three children — Teddy (9), Kit (6), and Annie (4) — have relocated from their previous home in West London to give their children a more peaceful life in the countryside. Alex has already noticed the significant benefits of living in a more rural area, especially regarding the cleaner air. “For the children, it’s been an absolute game-changer. They stopped coughing,” she shared. “I didn’t realize it was a thing, but in London, they always had this lingering cough.”
While the family is settling in, the house itself is still a work in progress. Alex admits that the renovation won’t be a quick fix. “It’s going to take us decades to finish this transformation,” she said. The grand plans for the mansion include a single-storey extension to the side of the house, which will create a spacious kitchen-diner that overlooks the vast gardens. The couple also intends to rework the upstairs, adding four new bedrooms and turning the downstairs into a more open, flowing living space.
The house’s interior, currently stuck in a “care home chic” vibe, will undergo a full overhaul. With handrails and outdated features from previous elderly occupants, the house’s retro style includes a kitchen that hasn’t been updated since 1976, which Alex jokingly describes as stepping into a “time machine.” The kitchen features an antique fridge and even a cupboard designed to heat tea towels.
In addition to renovating the main house, Alex and Charlie are also focused on transforming the property’s outbuilding. The couple is planning to turn it into a self-contained annex, which will include a studio, gym, bedroom, workshop, and storage space. They are even considering living in this annex while they work on the main house.
When asked about the scale of the renovation, Alex explained that she and Charlie are determined to get it right, rather than rush through the process. “We only want to do it once, and we want to get it right,” she said. This commitment to careful planning extends to restoring some of the property’s original Georgian features, such as a fireplace in the playroom that had been hidden for years.
Alex, known for her stylish sensibilities, has created a mood board for the design process, drawing inspiration from interior magazines and scrapbooks. “I love looking through old magazines. My friends and I often exchange them, and I use them for inspiration,” she said. The detailed mood boards and careful design choices reflect Alex’s hands-on approach to the project, ensuring that each element is thoughtfully considered.
The couple’s decision to leave West London for the countryside was motivated by their desire for more space for their children. Alex explained, “We wanted the children to have room to play outside and grow up in nature.” She added, “It took nearly four years of searching to find the ‘one.’ It feels like the house was waiting for us to find her. We feel very lucky.”
As for their personal life, Alex and Charlie have weathered some health challenges. Charlie, a New Zealand-born insurance broker, has battled Lyme disease and viral meningitis, undergoing a lengthy recovery process. However, Alex has shared that Charlie is now in much better health, thanks in part to changes in his diet. “He’s in a way better place now,” she said. “Diet has played a huge part in that. He’s quite into nutrition.”
With such a massive home renovation underway, Alex’s potential role on Strictly could be the perfect opportunity to help fund the next stages of their transformation. She is reportedly on a nine-person shortlist to replace the outgoing hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, with other contenders including Rylan Clark, Emma Willis, and Alison Hammond. The family’s renovation dreams may soon have an added boost if Alex secures the coveted role, making this new chapter in their lives even more exciting.
From tackling the challenge of renovating a grand, historic mansion to potentially stepping into one of the UK’s most beloved television roles, Alex Jones is undoubtedly living a life full of big projects and transformations. Fans can only wait and see how both her home and her career evolve in the coming years.
