Alex Jones claims complaints about her Welsh accent are "racist".
Alex Jones claims complaints about Welsh accent were racist
The 45-year-old TV host has presented 'The One Show' since 2010 but admitted she was left upset after some viewers complained about her accent.
She told The Times: "There was a bit of a backlash.
"My boss at the time, and he was a lovely man, he would roll his eyes and say 'Oh Jones, can't you just say fruit rather than frewt [because] I get emails complaining. Can't you just do it this way?'
"I was really surprised because we talk so much about people being racist. What is that if not racist?
"It is just a different sound to your voice, the way you form words is slightly different.
"Regional accents then were relatively new, so this was the first time apart from Huw Edwards that they had heard a Welsh accent."
Alex - who has three children with her husband Charlie Thomson - added that she refused to dilute her accent.
She said: "It did affect my confidence', but I said at the time 'no, they will either get used to it or they wont' and of course they did.
"I did not feel that was necessary, no more than Ronan [Keating] who sits next to me will soften his Irish accent.
"Children are like sponges. They have grown up completely bilingual so all the information is there. They do not speak to their friends in Welsh; but it is there when needed. And for me, that is good enough."
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