Alex Jones has revealed the dramatic new chapter of her life away from the spotlight as she throws herself into renovating a sprawling £2.8million Georgian mansion in Berkshire — a project so ambitious it’s already being compared to Grand Designs.
The 49-year-old Alex Jones, who is reportedly among the favourites to replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman on Strictly Come Dancing, has been documenting every stage of the transformation on social media after relocating her family from West London to the countryside.
But the biggest shock? Alex admitted she actually bought the four-bedroom property before her husband, insurance broker Charlie Thomson, had even seen it in person.
Speaking about the emotional purchase, Alex explained that Charlie was in New Zealand when she first viewed the house alone — and she became so determined to secure it that she personally wrote to the elderly owner begging her to sell it to their family.
She recalled: “I wrote a letter to Penelope and explained why it would be a lovely home for the family.”
To Alex’s delight, the owner responded warmly, telling her: “You’re exactly the type of person I want to sell this house to.”
And when Charlie finally returned home, Alex had some explaining to do.
“I said, ‘Listen, I’ve sort of bought a house so we better go and see it.’ Luckily he loved it immediately. It felt like home when we walked in,” she said.
The enormous property, located in Ascot, Berkshire, also comes with a surprising slice of music history — previous residents reportedly included Beatles legends John Lennon and Ringo Starr.
Despite the glamorous setting, Alex admits the house is far from perfect and needs extensive work.
The TV presenter joked that parts of the home currently resemble “care home chic” because the elderly former owners had installed rails and hand bars throughout the property.
She also laughed about the kitchen being frozen in time since 1976, revealing it still contains an antique fridge and even a heated cupboard designed specifically for tea towels.
Alex and Charlie now plan to completely redesign the layout of the house, including building a huge open-plan kitchen diner overlooking the gardens, creating four new bedrooms upstairs, and transforming the downstairs into a more flowing family living space.
The renovations are expected to take years — possibly even decades.
“We only want to do it once, and we want to get it right,” Alex explained.
The couple may even temporarily move into the estate’s outbuilding while construction work continues on the main house. Plans for the annex include a studio, gym, workshop, bedroom and storage space.
But despite the chaos, Alex says moving to the countryside has already transformed family life for their three children — Teddy, Kit and Annie.
“For the children, it’s been an absolute game-changer,” she revealed.
“They stopped coughing. I didn’t realise it was a thing, but in London they’d always have this cough and it would linger — and that stopped.”
Alex previously admitted it took almost four years to find the perfect family home after deciding they wanted their children to grow up surrounded by nature while still remaining close enough to London for work commitments.
Reflecting on the move, she wrote emotionally on Instagram: “It feels like she was waiting for us to find her. We feel very lucky.”
The renovation journey comes during a huge period of speculation surrounding Alex’s TV future, with reports claiming BBC bosses are considering her as part of a shortlist to front future seasons of Strictly Come Dancing alongside stars including Rylan Clark, Emma Willis and Alison Hammond.
