Monday, May 9, 2011

Steve Jones


From humble beginnings presenting Wales' answer to Top Of The Pops, Steve Jones is now set to break America as he hosts the US version of The X Factor.
But how has the Rhondda-born presenter landed one of the most coveted jobs in television?
It is a question many will be asking as he joins fellow Britons Cheryl Cole and Simon Cowell on the hotly anticipated talent show on the Fox television network in September.
The dark-haired 34-year-old from Tylorstown started his career modelling for Esquire and Versace before moving into presenting.
His first job was hosting Wales' The Pop Factory in 2000, where his chiselled jawline and charisma quickly earned him an army of female fans.
His big break came when Channel 4 hired him as flagship presenter for its popular weekend entertainment programme T4, interviewing a plethora of A-list celebrities.
Ladies' man
He quickly built up a reputation as a ladies' man, being linked in the gossip columns with the likes of actress Pamela Anderson and Oscar-winning Bond girl Halle Berry.
After several years on T4, Jones made his BBC One debut hosting Let's Dance for Comic Relief with Claudia Winkleman. In February 2011 he was joined by his former flame, The One Show presenter Alex Jones, who he dated when they were working on TV together in Wales. He claims she is the only ex-girlfriend with whom he remains friends.
Stints on several other BBC shows, including As Seen On TV and 101 Ways to Leave a Gameshow, confirmed Jones' place as a household name in the UK.
He is proud of his Welsh roots, but admitted he was desperate to leave the small valleys town where he grew up.
"I had to get out. Before I was 21, I was wild," he said in a newspaper interview.
"I embraced everything and if I hadn't got away from the valleys then I would definitely be in trouble,
"If I hadn't got that bus out at that particular time then I'd be in a right mess now. I'd be a failed model with drink and drug problems.
"Staying there was not an option. I live to work - it's about not wanting to go back."
With his movie star good looks, Jones briefly flirted with an acting career, enjoying a small part in the British film Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging and a minor role as himself in two episodes of the Channel 4 television series Plus One.
But although the presenter has now proved he's more than just a pretty face by landing the role of X Factor host, alongside former Pussycat Doll singer Nicole Scherzinger, is his charm enough to get him noticed in the States?

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