Alex Jones has urged aspiring parents to start a family as soon as they can.
The One Show host, 45, has opened up about the misconceptions she had about her own fertility.
The presenter has three children; Teddy, five, Kit, three, and Annie, one, with husband Charlie Thomson.
Jones, however, previously spoke out about a miscarriage in 2017; she had her first child aged 39.
In a new interview, Jones said: “For all of us who’ve wanted a child, you’re brought up through your twenties to, ‘don’t get pregnant, don’t get pregnant, don’t get pregnant’.”
Jones then suggested that people often “flip” their decision “360 degrees” and then become “obsessed” by the idea of having a child.
She admitted that she was not prepared for how long it might take to conceive.
“But I was really naive. I hadn’t thought about it [the time it takes to conceive]. I thought, ‘well, there you are. We’ll try to have a baby and that’ll be lovely, and then a baby will arrive’. And, of course . . . how naive. You don’t have any control over it.”
She continued by urging anyone wanting to have children to start trying at the earliest possible stage.
“I would tell anybody that if you’re in a relationship and you know you want kids, go for your life as soon as you can,” she told The Sun.
“But it’s not always that straightforward, is it? I think sometimes it’s not in your control.”
She went on to explain that struggling with the “disappointment” while trying to conceive is a “whole new and different level of wanting”.
Jones will host a new documentary in the new year titled Alex Jones: Making Babies airs Thursday 5 January on W channel.
In the documentary, Jones will train as a fertility assistant at one of the UK’s leading fertility clinics. She will be taught how world-renowned fertility technology works.
In a press statement for the new TV show, Jones said: “Trying to conceive can truly be a rollercoaster, and I have no doubt that it’ll be a very emotional and unpredictable journey.”
She added: “This series is really close to my heart, it’s truly a passion project, and I feel privileged to be able to join the team at King’s Fertility and help them with the very special job of making babies.”
This isn’t the first time that Jones has publicly opened up about her fertility journey. In 2016, the host explored the issues surrounding fertility and the scientific methods used to help people struggling to get pregnant, in a BBC Two documentary: Alex Jones – Fertility & Me.
