Report by Chris

I have missed many an opportunity in the past to meet the gorgeous Mr G Jones, as the other Geth’s Girls will testify, for varying reasons - the main one being a complete aversion to Motorway driving!!


So, when the occasion arose to possibly meet Gethin at the Ideal Home Exhibition a mere 20 miles away by train, I was not going to turn it down!


I nearly didn’t make this either due to Gethin originally being scheduled to appear at 7pm – the time I was due to arrive at a party! It was fate that made me check the timetable at 12.00pm on Wednesday night to find the schedule had changed to 11.00am on Thursday – at last a time and date I could make.


It was fortunate that I was meeting Jules because I wouldn’t have sat in the front row in a million years – but we did!


There was a definite buzz when Geth walked on to the set of a swanky new kitchen and asked us all if we wanted a cup of tea. The presentation was over in a flash, and after a few minutes Gethin came over ‘for a chat!’ He kissed us both on the cheek and updated us on his purchases. He talked about his latest projects, thanked us for coming and for our continued support. We told him scheduling had kept other Girls from getting there on time!


All I can say is Gethin is as charming and handsome in the flesh as he appears on the screen!.

Report by Gill

When "Geth's Girls" discovered that Gethin was going to be presenting the prizes for the Innovation Nation at the Ideal Home Show at Earls Court on 9 April, several of us thought it would be a good idea to try and go along to support him. In the end it was only Jules, Chris and myself who managed to get there.


According to the timetable published on the website, he was doing the presenting at 7.00pm but Chris found out at the last minute that the presentation had been brought forward to 11.30am. She did contact Kate who was going to travel from deepest Hampshire up to London but she decided it was too difficult to get there.


I had arranged to go the Show with my sister and we were staying with an old friend who was also going to accompany us. We travelled up from the Isle of Wight the previous day.


As we had plenty of time – or so we thought - we pottered about killing time. I did manage to ring Kate to say we were on our way and she told me about the change of plans. Panic set in from then on because it was then 10.30 and we weren’t getting the train until 10.54!


We eventually arrived at Earl's Court almost on the dot of 12 and I left my sister and our friend Ruth at the barrier and made my way rapidly to the Innovation Nation stand which was on the far side of the arena. When I got there Gethin was standing there talking to the organisers and John (his agent). I stood to one side so as not to interrupt and Geth saw me (in my pink coat) and excused himself from the group and came over to me so I introduced myself. He seemed delighted to see me saying that he hadn't met me before and was so glad I got there. He told me that the other two had managed to see the presentation and he had spoken to them and they mentioned that I was on my way.


I asked John to take a photo of me with Geth. He took two which aren't too bad although I look like a midget! I also took photos of Geth and the winner of the contest who had produced an exercise bicycle to which a baby’s crib could be attached so that the baby could be rocked to sleep at the same time as the cyclist exercised. Very ingenious.


While we were talking group of people came along and asked if they could have a photo with Gethin, I took the photo of them all and when Geth saw it he said it was very good and "good framing"!


After all this Geth said, 'Walk along with me" and we walked along the aisles to where he went off to go to the back regions and I went on ahead to try and find Jules and Chris and/or my sister and Ruth. Gethin said that I will certainly see him again on some other occasion – I said that I hoped so. I was bold enough to ask him for a kiss! He said of course and kissed me on the cheek and I stood on his toe!


I must say he is the most charming man and is absolutely lovely to everyone. You can imagine after this I was on Cloud Nine!


I did eventually catch up with Jules and Chris and we spent a long time admiring all the lovely goodies available – if you have the money to spare. I also found my sister and our friend when we were having lunch.


It was great having such lovely company in Jules and Chris. Even though we only saw Gethin for a short while it was well worth it.

Report by Annie

All GGs are quite aware of just how brave Gethin is, but it’s good to see that his courage has been noted by Diving Coach Adam Sotheran.

Adam, who has worked for British diving since 2004, was teaching journalist Richard Marsden of The Star, the newspaper which serves the South Yorkshire area, how to take to the high boards.

Richard was very nervous, in fact he was terrified, but he eventually conquered his fear and managed to dive from the 3 metre board. The object was to dive from as high a board as possible with only one day’s training.

Coach Adam said that nobody has ever managed to start from scratch and dive from the 10 metre board in a day.

He then went on to say “The closest was Blue Peter presenter Gethin Jones who managed the 7 metre board, and that was with training from dawn to dusk.”

Well we have seen the Blue Peter recording of that day, and we know how much courage Gethin displayed screwing up his nerves to do that dive. Now we know just how much of an achievement that was thanks to this article, spotted by one of our keen eyed number.

We know Geth isn’t keen on heights, it has been documented enough times, but as Richard said in his article, bravery is not defined as fearlessness, but by the ability to stay cool and do something that you are afraid of.

Well done Gethin for impressing an expert in yet another field of activity requiring nerve, courage, and skill.

from Geth's Girls

February dawns cold
Thoughts soon turn to Spring
Sweet smelling flowers
Birds that twitter and sing
All GG's however
Are united in breath
For this month hails the birth
Of the one we call Geth

With a shake of the hips
And an arch of the eye
He turns GG's to jelly
We can feel ten feet high
Hearts beat so much faster
Butterflies in our tummy
This man has a knack
To turn us quite funny

But we are all in agreement
Of this I am sure
Gethin Jones is our Spring
He's the one we adore
So Geth if you notice
This poem at a glance
HAPPY BIRTHDAY from the GG's
You make our souls dance.
- Ger

I hope you have a very Happy Birthday Geth and that you continue to
entertain us over the coming year with all your exploits - Gill

Happy Birthday! - Jan

Happy Birthday Gethin - hope you have a wonderful Birthday and enjoy
performing your fantastic waltz and salsa with Flavia to a packed audience in Glasgow!
- Chris

I shall see you on your birthday - lift the glitterball for me
and we'll both be happy on your birthday...... - Annie

Enjoy your birthday - but make sure you dont overdo it
- want to see you win in Birmingham! - Sue

Happy Birthday Geth, Love from Pat

Have a wonderful birthday Geth, with love from Kate

Happy Birthday Geth - may your year be full of excitement and
the foreseeable future full of glitterballs! Love Helly xxx

Have a wonderful birthday - and looking forward with huge
anticipation to a wonderful waltz and a saucy salsa on Friday 20th!
- Viv

Happy Birthday from me too. Hope you have a wonderful day
and lots more wins on the SCD Tour! Love from Jane

Have a wonderful birthday and thanks for your brilliant dancing at the 02
on 7th Feb - all the GGs present had a wonderful time!
Thrilled to bits you got the more than overdue glitter ball
- Lesley

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
but for goodness’ sake stop doing dangerous things!
Happy Birthday, Penblwydd Hapus i ti
- Jules

by SparklingChampagne (aka Liz)

Well Father Time has turned again, a year has passed us by
Since last the GG’s sent a birthday message to their guy
12 months have passed, a busy time for us, as was for you
let’s take some time to reflect on these lives of derring-do

This time last year your birthday coincided with your quest
To climb the Four Peaks quickly, you, as ever, did your best
We watched you on Blue Peter, we watched E24
Whilst James may be a nice man, he is not our man, for sure!

Now March we were in Bristol at a Ball for Charity
and 10 of us together for the first time, finally
meeting you Geth meant the night could not be any finer
Then you disappeared for three weeks on a filming trip to China!!

You made in back in time to join the young Welsh Mafia
Though surrounded by their talent you remained our shining star
As the red carpet was rolled out for the Bafta Cymru night
And you found time for an interview with us, to our delight!

Come May we were quite literary, in the mud in Hay on Wye
Your narration entertained us though the wolf made children cry
Your appeal, we saw, was widespread - not just for us alone
And I learnt that my daughter should be always left at home!!

For the summer months your dulcet tones were heard on Saturdays
An improvement on dear Eamonn in so many different ways
And whilst the GG’s got together for a weekend up in York
Your webmistress was on your show, you had a little talk..

September brought us Swansea, our Italian Riviera
And we all joined in with singing que sera sera, whatever
We put you off a little down the front and rather pink
And Rebecca nearly got corked when we opened up our drink

October and the long awaited Danger Hunters starts
And as promised hairs are raised as were the beating of our hearts
We understood precisely why your mother wasn’t told
Exactly what your plans were - do you have to be so bold??!!

November, back in Wales you film a quiz based on rugby
The GG’s sent a cheering squad comprising of just three
Though Welsh is not their mother tongue, they were welcomed just the same
For the GG’s, like you Gethin, are nothing if not game

December saw a sober you reporting on the fools
Who think that they’re impervious to drink and driving rules
And meanwhile in the Telegraph you trod a careful line
In your column about Strictly to be true but not malign

So January came around, it was time to hit the floor
But not with Cam, with Flavia, you're settling the score
A revamped Waltz and Salsa complete with see-thru shirt
A shimmy here, a Fleckle there, a cheeky wink won’t hurt

So Geth, thanks for the year that’s been, and for the one to come
May your birthday treats be many and your day a happy one
Though Rachel may be perky and Vincent may be small
We will do our level best to see YOU raise that Glitterball!

by Katy

The O2 Five, plus assorted friends and family, had a few scary moments in the run up to Saturday’s trip to the Strictly Tour. We were convinced the snow would wreak havoc. Particularly as one of us was attempting the Wales-to-London trip with both Severn Bridges shut!
But it takes more than a bit of snow to keep the GG’s from the
Strictly Tour; Gethin‘s dancing, for goodness sake, we‘d scale the
Himalayas if we had to! Thankfully we all got there - badges,
rosettes and GG shirts on display, scorecards at the ready - and
settled in to an arena packed to the rafters and positively sparkling
with excitement. Lots of laughs from the warm-up act, plus the
fabulous news that we were going to be filmed for this year’s Tour DVD, got everyone well and truly into the party spirit, and soon enough the dancers and celebs were walking down those glittery staircases to huge applause and we were off!

All of the couples received the warmest of welcomes, with
gratifying levels of shrieking enthusiasm for gorgeous Gethin and
fantastic Flavia and that wasn’t all us, honest. They were clear crowd favourites along with Tom, Jill and Rachel. We could hardly wait for the dancing to start.

In the words of our honorary GG for the night
the waltz was ’sublime’. Just exquisitely beautiful.
We all knew it would be, but Gethin and
Flavia make a lovely dance pairing, seeing them
live was just WOW, and Flavia’s newly choreographed ending was gorgeous.
Cue audible gasps from everyone followed by tumultuous cheers. They scored a picture-perfect 40 - the only couple in the ballroom
round to do so - and quite frankly if they hadn’t the GGs would have had something to say! Lots of enthusiastic comments from the judges, with even Mr Revel Horwood bowled over,
and we were ecstatic.

When voting time was announced we got to it, and between us were into triple text figures within minutes, determined that Gethin and
Flavia should lift that glitter ball!

During the interval some of the girls got to meet Katherine Jenkins, who was pronounced ‘lovely’ and who encouraged them to send even more texts. Like we needed any more encouragement but, oh go on then, if you think that would be a good idea...we never quite got to find out quite why some of Gethin’s entourage were waving a large pair of Superman pants on sticks,though,
and we probably never will!

On to the Latin round and Salsa time! This was officially WOO HOO and
we’re not just talking about the shirt. Full of energy, precision,
euphoria, a real sexy party dance which saw Gethin collapse flat on
his back at the end with all the effort he‘d put in! We weren’t quite so delighted with a score of 38, but were amused to hear boos echoing around the arena as Craig and Arlene declared the performance only worthy of 9s. Arlene even suggested he looked a bit flat footed. Flat footed? Whaddaya mean, flat footed? Should have gone to Specsavers, Arlene…he looked pretty damned perfect to us.
Especially as several GG's were convinced they received personal
waves from the man himself!

We should also mention the other celebrity dancers, because to be fair whilst we were all there to support the utterly mesmerising Gethin and Flavia the others were brilliant too, and obviously having a wonderful time. Particular highlights were Jill and ‘That Jive‘,
Rachel’s rumba, and to be perfectly honest anything to do with
Julian, who had the audience in convulsions of laughter from start to
finish. Tom and Camilla made a really charismatic couple and Kenny danced a lovely Viennese Waltz with Ola. Shame about the rugby, hey Kenny, but fret not, you’re going to go down an absolute storm in Glasgow with that dance.

The group dances, along with the show dance by Matthew and Kristina, were sensational and soon enough it was time for The Moment Of Truth. One by one the couples were announced out of the competition until before too long - although it felt like about an hour - there were just three left standing : Rachel and Vincent, Julian and
Lilia, and Gethin and Flavia! By this point I had almost lost the
ability to breathe, but to the undoubted disappointment of Julian’s
many fans (never mind his mum) he and Lilia were announced out next.

And so to the Final Two. When Kate called out Gethin and Flavia’s names the arena went bonkers and we felt it only polite to join in!
Gethin was hoisted into the air in triumph and it was fantastic not
only to see them lift the glitter ball, but to know it was all being recorded for official Tour DVD posterity. They were both clearly
so delighted and thrilled, with Gethin predictably charming in his
speech and expressing gratitude to all their supporters. Lots of
waving and cheering from the audience, whilst the Superman Pants performed a victory dance all of their own!

But then we were back to reality, and the Jubilee line attempted to
ruin the evening with staff booming out grim tidings of Severe Delays and Take An Alternative Route and You Will Never Ever Get Home In A Million Years If You Enter This Station; in fact 'Pants' became an apt description of the journey home for one poor GG who was forced to abandon her original route and travel by boat, arriving home after three in the morning! The rest of us were rather luckier,
ignored the Jubilee Line doom-mongers, took the tube with no
problems and got home in good time. Even if we were too excited to get to bed much earlier than three anyway.

So now the O2 posse are coming slowly back down to earth whilst looking forward to tour reports from the rest of the GG‘s and waiting for the DVD to come out! The GG’s will be out in force for the other
tour dates and will of course be as vocal and visual in their
support of our man as possible! Gethin Jones, you have been warned...

by Jan, with additions from Jules

It just gets better!

July

Geth did a stint over the summer standing in for both Eamonn Holmes and Gabby Logan on Radio 5Live. We may have sent a ’few’ texts.... There are several pictures if him wearing his glasses captured from the webcam!
The ‘Fron’ choir did a couple of tribute songs to him using some well known Welsh music!
'Gethin Jones is a Waltzer…' - is how one starts!

We got a little hot under the collar with some half-naked pictures in Heat magazine.

The nice Virgin people contacted us about putting Danger Hunters Videos on the website

We got all hot under the collar again about a rather lovely Eisteddfod advert - well it was the tight fitting dark blue shirt I think!

August

Gethin took part in a Football Association film about respect for referees - we liked the shorts……

The UK’s First Gold medal was won by a Welsh cyclist, whilst Geth’s programme was on air.

At the National Lottery awards he took a tiny little trip - really, hardly worth mentioning. He was on live radio the next day, getting the mickey taken mercilessly about it.

September

Strictly started - there was no Gethin, so we felt bereft!

He was on the One show pushing Danger Hunters, and left a little self-portrait!

Geth started doing the Lottery shows on a Wednesday night. He really needs to tell us about these things in advance.

Talk about versatile, Gethin started writing a weekly column in the Daily Telegraph as ‘Strictly Insider’, which kept us amused....... He sat firmly and diplomatically on the fence but clearly liked Christine.

He took part in the England v Rest of the World Soccer Aid match and was all over the pitch - talk about stamina. He very very nearly scored, but forgot it wasn’t rugby!
- He ended up wearing Alan Shearer’s shirt, and was called an ‘Adonis’…..well, very true!

The Proms in the Park mentioned in Part 1 finally came round and after a long wait we took up residence in the front row - right under Gethin’s nose - he didn’t miss us!

Gethin’s Girls got a mention in Glamour magazine

The Danger Hunters series started, and it was GREAT! - whoo hoo

October

Geth did a ‘rugby dance' and made sushi on the Paul O'Grady Show

Miracle of miracles, we found out Geth was doing the Strictly Come Dancing live tour and there was a rush for tickets by the GGs!

He was a member of the team of journalists at the launch of the new Welsh Rugby Strip, and boy did he look good in it!!!

The man never stopped this month - he took part in the Great North Run, and was followed round by the BBC cameras (supporting The Joshua Foundation)

November

We heard about a Welsh quiz show called ’Cwis Meddiant’ being hosted by Geth, and there’s a whole other report about that!

He won Cosmopolitan Magazine’s ‘Ultimate Hottie’ award

December

He was on the Friday Panel on It Takes Two, and danced with Claudia, he looked great!

He said in his weekly Telegraph article that he is wearing shocking pink on the tour!

Gethin presented a special edition of Police Camera Action, getting a bit tipsy in the cause of road safety. It was a very good programme, and we almost forgot we were watching it for Gethin!

We’ve had a little personal note from Geth this week, and are really looking forward to seeing him in the new year!

What’s next? Well as far as we know the tour will take up a few weeks early in the year - after that, we wait to see. Good luck Gethin!

by Jules, with additions from Jan

Oh my, what a year!!

January

2008 started with a bang, well several bangs and quite a few rockets too as Gethin stood on the South Bank opposite the houses of Parliament and ‘entertained’ a rather non-chatty crowd. He needed us there! We did have some dispute about whether we liked his coat……

'Gethin's Girls' gained a seal of approval from the man himself for the blog and a full-blown website to follow. We were fairly excited!!!

The website was designed by our beloved Webmistress and Gethin visited it!

Geth was fighting fires on Blue Peter (hubba hubba)

February

The Blue Peter Crew climbed mountains in Northern Ireland, Wales, England and Scotland - Gethin in fact had his 30th Birthday on a mountainside! We liked the glasses and the unshaven look!

Geth joined News 24 for E24, ‘a weekly roundup of news from the world of film, television and music with behind-the-scenes reports and interviews with stars of that week's shows, gigs and events.’ It was supposed to be a 6 week pilot, but was re-commissioned and is continuing in 2009.

He also appeared on Ready Steady Cook with pal, Dan Scarborough - and lost AGAIN! This time by one vote. He really can’t cook, but eating is definitely his thing!

There was an article in the Sunday Mirror Magazine - and we Gethin's Girls were mentioned - birthday card, website and all. Not sure about our adoration being seen as 'hilarious', but we will forgive Geth anything......especially since it is better than being weird or embarrassing....

Then we got a glimpse of the salsa and Geth in the BP studio at Brucie's bash. Geth being far too busy to be there, it seems.

March

Geth still on Blue Peter, employing all his self control to maintain perfect eye contact with some scantily clad samba dancers.

He delighted us all with his exploits as a jockey (OK, so it was the sight of the jodhpurs, boots and whip that did it).

10 of Gethin's Girls went to a Charity Ball in Bristol and had a blast. Of course we met the man himself, got some gossip, photos and lots of opportunities to ask all the burning questions we had.........but mostly forgot them all!!! One kiss on the cheek and we lost our marbles.....

Geth flew off to China…

He was on BBC Radio Wales with a recorded programme that was funny and entertaining, and he guested on Camilla’s radio show, too.

April

Gethin announces he is leaving Blue Peter:
"I've had a career on Blue Peter that you wouldn't even dream about and for that I feel privileged and fortunate."

He opened the Wales Young Musician competition by playing the piano - Beethoven - and ‘The Muppets’………

He hosted the Bafta Cymru awards, as well as appearing on Blue Peter, Bhangra dancing, cleaning windows, and of course, there was the China trip.

He was seen on screen at the Baftas, though he wasn’t in the audience.

The big news for April was that we got ourselves an exclusive interview for the website!

Gethin played ‘Arctic rugby’ and took a sauna for us……

May

The Jones boy was never off our screens - on TV no less than 3 times one night; Blue Peter, the Soap Awards, and on BBC Young Musician of the Year.

We were treated to the films of the trip to China - rickshaw-driving, bug-eating, playing at Shaolin monk antics, and the Chinese opera - but we loved those pandas!

Right at the very tail-end of May, the GGs got to meet Geth again (at the Hay literary festival, where he was narrating Peter and the Wolf). We managed to wangle our way into the rehearsal, so more time to watch Gethin. He was lovely to us and chatted after the performance. He also let us film a little message to the GGs waiting in Birmingham for a get together we had planned before Hay came up.

June

He was filming a series for Virgin 1, which was to become ‘Gethin Jones’ Danger Hunters’.

'You'd think that after Blue Peter I would be ready to put my feet up and enjoy a cup of tea and a biscuit, but not me. This is a really energetic programme and it has some interesting contributors'

It was announced that Geth would be hosting the BBC Proms in the Park in Swansea in September. Some of us decided we were most definitely going to be there!

Geth played a Dalek on Dr Who - and said goodbye to Blue Peter!

by Jan2555, with interruptions from Jules and 'Nat'

Sunday 23rd November dawned very cold and very early for the C3 as we set off from all points East towards the M4, and Cardiff

Despite a small hiccup on the way due to part of the M4 being closed and my misinterpreting a text message, we still managed to get there early.

We were met by the lovely Iestyn, and taken down to have breakfast. Gethin, we were informed, had been allowed to lie in later than us and wasn’t there yet, but to make ourselves comfortable and enjoy breakfast and he would come and get us when it was time to go to the studio.

The families and supporters of the teams taking part in the quiz started to arrive and before long up popped Iestyn again and said he would take us to the studio. Outside the studio we were asked to have a seat and wait for a few minutes and hey ho around the corner comes Mr Jones looking absolutely wonderful in dark jeans dark jumper and open neck shirt.

‘Hello Ladies, I see you have your badges on’ - not oh my god those nutters again or anything!!! A few minutes conversation, then he said he had to go and do some sound checks and ‘Oh hows your Welsh?’ erm almost non existent!

We were taken into the studio and were sitting at the back behind the quiz contestants and Geth so we will be seen on the TV! Lots of rehearsing of clapping and cheering. The sound man came and hooked Geth up for sound by putting a box in his back pocket and a wire up the back of his shirt.

Geth then spent ages talking and listening to someone on his earpiece. I kept trying to see who he was talking to in the studio only to find out that he was talking to someone in another room. Lots of camera and sound setting up and Geth came and ‘worked his audience’

He asked ’Do you speak Welsh’ - not much response, then ’Do you speak English’ not much response (don’t know why) ‘Do you speak?’

He sat on the ‘wall’ in front of us and chatted. He told us that Jodie had been knocked out of Strictly (naughty boy) but I had to tell him that the dance off had been against Lisa. He asked if we were going to the tour, and of course we are! He said did we know he was dancing with Flavia and Jules said yes we read your article every week. I asked him what dances he was doing and he said Waltz and Salsa which resulted in general squeals and gestures of delight, I didn’t have the guts to ask if THE shirt was coming out again. Some general conversation about the dances on Saturday night. Rachel’s 4 10’s got some general disbelief and we told him it wasn’t as good as his foxtrot.
The first part of the quiz was then filmed. Geth is a terrible fidget (and nail biter) and was constantly moving his screen with his questions on it (it was hidden from the studio team by a sort of desk in front) so they couldn’t see him doing it and he kept loosening it so much that they had to keep coming and fixing it…

The quiz was quite good fun, general knowledge questions, but the quiz is based on rugby rules. Geth was very funny and we understood more of it than we thought. It's bloomin amazing how many times they stop and start and re-do bits even in a quiz (obviously they always have to keep giving the same answer even if it was wrong)! There was some funny bits where they just wanted Geth to re do his question and the contestant was not meant to answer again but they found it really hard to keep quiet

Once the first ‘leg’ of the quiz had been filmed we broke for lunch. Geth joked that the food was terrible and that he was having his especially flown in!! He asked if we were stopping for the next filming and we said we were. Off to the restaurant for lunch, which wasn’t too bad, a rather nice curry and lemon meringue pie but we didn’t get to eat too much. Nat chose a table for four and we sat down, the door was slightly to the side and rear of me and Jules said that Geth had just walked in. He stopped to shake a few people's hands and looked like he was doing the ‘rounds’ when, I think to all our shocks, he came and sat down at the spare chair on our table..

He asked Jules what the food was like, and asked if he could have some of her Coke (now who was going to say no to that?). I remember saying ‘Hello you’ of course he didn’t realise that I feel as though I have known him for years so it didn’t seem odd to be talking to him.

We chatted about how great he thinks the website is. I said that he was going to be getting a snazzy new website with his agency and he said yes but he didn’t think it could be as good as ours.

I asked him if he was doing the Xmas Strictly and he said no he hadn’t been invited :(

I asked him how he felt about dancing with Flavia on tour and he said well it was a choice between Flavia and Kristina and he did at least know Flavia, and won‘t have the whole thing about getting to know someone new! I said she was a good dancer which he agreed too and I said she had a massive fan base, and that he was popular too but goodness knows why, and he laughed.

We talked about Swansea and the proms. He said, ‘You lot were very distracting on the front row - I kept catching sight of you out of the corner of my eye. I told the cameraman to pan over to you‘. I said that I got fed up with seeing the girls on the TV and I said it was the best proms on that night.

We went back into the studio for the afternoon filming, Geth had changed into a white shirt grey cardigan and brown shoes. Filming pretty much as before, and then we had a buffet tea, we were hoping Geth might come in again but he didn’t, unfortunately.

Final filming session, Geth had changed again to a dark cardigan. I was sitting next to a couple of girls who had come from the pub!!! They thought they were seeing Gethin Jenkins the rugby player so possibly were a little disappointed and they were a bit tiddly. One of them said in a voice perhaps slightly louder than she meant, ‘Oh he's handsome isn’t he?’ (well yes he is) ‘He’s smaller than I thought though isn’t he’ at which Gethin turned round and said ‘what do you meant smaller than you thought’ and walked over (had a big grin on his face though) she got the full Gethin charm offensive and cheek.

Then it was over we all got a kiss and I said ‘thanks for putting up with us’ he said, 'Don’t be silly its wonderful of you all to come and support me'.

He also said as a parting shot, ‘I’ll be in touch about the website’

Iestyn escorted us out and we left with huge smiles which I don’t think have faded yet

by ScattyJan

Prime, lean fillet of beef, seared to perfection.
Marinated in earth, air, fire and water for three and a half years, simmered in sequins for three months.
Bind together in chains, drizzle with oil and serve al dente on a bed ...
This isn't just any 'Heat Torso of the Week', this is the Gethin Jones 'Heat Torso of the Week'.

by SparklyJules

Bye Bye BP - an ode to Gethin’s departure (To Auntie Beeb) - to the tune of 'Bye Bye Baby'

If you hate me after what I say
Can't put it off any longer
I just gotta tell ya anyway

Bye Bye BP, BP goodbye.
Bye BP, BP bye bye.
Bye bye BP, don't make me cry
Bye BP, BP bye bye.

It’s the only kid’s show I see
But to watch now Geth‘s gone? Not me!
I wish it could be.
I could watch again, but why begin it
'Cos there ain't any future in it,
Geth’s the best, but now he’s left, so:

Bye Bye BP, BP goodbye.
Bye BP, BP bye bye.
Bye bye BP, don't make me cry
Bye BP, BP bye bye.

Wish I had written you a letter,
Wish you kept Geth - so much better, for a GG
How good it would be for me.
Now I tell you that I won’t be there,
There's a new crowd, I just don’t care,
Geth’s the best, but now he’s left, so:

Bye Bye BP, BP goodbye.
Bye BP, BP bye bye.
Bye bye BP, don't make me cry
Bye BP, BP bye bye.

by the GG's

We didnt actually make it all up !! Here is a photo of 10 of the Gethin's Girls with Gethin Jones, Camilla Dallerup and Ian Waite at the Strictly Energised Ball on 21st March 2008.

This photograph is used with the kind permission of Black Tie Portraits www.blacktieportraits.co.uk as well as Gethin, Ian and Camilla. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Kim Ingleby for organising the event www.energisedperformance.com

by Jan2555

It would appear that we have Geth’s dad to thank for the physique that we love.In a recently repeated programme on S4C Gethin discussed his wardrobe with presenter Nia Parry, and let slip that he started working on those biceps after his father bought some weights when he was a teenager.

Along with many others, teenage years were not particularly kind to Geth, and were made worse by braces, thick glasses and a home haircut, but one school holidays, our ugly duckling began his transformation into a beautiful swan when he started working those weights, and discovered contacts (not that we don’t love him in his glasses too because we do!) and when he returned to school even one of his teachers didn’t recognise him.

by BPBadgeWinner1982

A “giggle” of Gethin’s Girls – a rather apt collective noun to describe the group that presented itself to Geth at the charity ball in Bristol, as well as being just one reaction to seeing and meeting the man himself. In truth, our initial reactions were very diverse:

Our first sighting in the hotel lobby (by Anaronkita, ScattyJan and myself) involved hands covering mouths, eyes rubbed in disbelief and grown women leaping up and down as if Christmas had come early! Fortunately, being the gentleman that he is, Geth merely smiled politely and passed us (with perhaps a slightly bemused look on his face!)

Once in the hotel it didn’t take long before he was accosted again. It would seem that Claudiaforqueen presented herself with a degree of decorum when speaking to Geth in the corridor, although this illusion was quickly shattered when he doubled back and witnessed two GGs squealing with excitement in a bedroom doorway.

Throughout the evening various GGs had encounters with Gethin (a kiss, a hand shake or a touch on the arm). Some were even able to hold a reasonably intelligible conversation, demonstrating that not all GGs are reduced to quivering wrecks at a glimpse of their hero. Unfortunately though, I fall into this latter category – whilst brave enough to approach Gethin, I instantly became tongue-tied, resulting in an autograph to “Nat” instead of my real name! Other GGs found themselves sufficiently star-struck during the evening that they could not utter a single syllable to the man himself. Such is the effect on women of the Great Gethin!

Despite all our diverse reactions, I’m sure Gethin really had no need to worry about us, even given our preceding reputation! He had after all been forewarned of our impending presence. Throughout the ball though, Geth did seem to embrace the idea of “Gethin’s Girls” and even made a point of partaking in a group chat (no, not a group snatch!) – greatly appreciated by all 10 of us. To his credit he didn’t appear at all fazed by the attention and readily joked with us about jodhpurs and Bed & Breakfast.

I’d like to think there’ll be another opportunity for the Bristol 10 and all the other GGs to meet Geth again. Particularly as next time I intend to ask Gethin to pin on my Blue Peter Badge (despite having had it for 25 years). Now, how do I explain how I got it??? I think I’d better start rehearsing now…..

by ScattyJan

The first of my fellow GG’s I had the pleasure to bump into at Bristol was Anaronkita. Following the early morning start, I returned from lunch with hubby around 1pm, hell bent on having a nap, doing a second coat on my nails and ceremoniously laying out the paraphernalia for the evening ahead. That all went out of the window; I chanced a glance at the Drawing Room (our makeshift Champagne Manor) really not expecting anyone to be there till the agreed 3pm, but couldn’t miss the balloons, and, more importantly, lots of wrapped up chocolate boxes! Annie and I yelled, greeting each other with open arms like old friends. We were joined shortly thereafter by BP Badge Winner 1982 and the virtual forum became a reality. It was the three of us who had the honour of spotting Gethin first. I was facing the archway when this handsome young man strayed into my line of vision. A sharp intake of breath, much frantic finger jabbing in his general direction and urgent whisperings of “It’s Him! It’s Him!” alerted Annie and BP. At which point BP and I tied Annie to a chair as previously arranged! With hindsight, we should have let her go:

Gethin proved throughout the evening to be just as sweet and approachable in real life as he appears on TV. At the time though, all he received were three very cheesy grins as he passed. He didn’t look that alarmed! Much. Camilla and Ian arrived; this time, we let Annie wave and Camilla, curious about the balloons, came in to ask if we were a having a party and received the full low down of who we were. Being the first official GG, it seemed Camilla would’ve happily stayed chatting but for a certain waltz rehearsal. That seemed a good point for BP to move her car and me to take the milk and hubby’s nibbles up to our room (he was settling down with Sky Sports for the night, bless him) and change into something pink. On my way back, I found Jan 2555 and Ger at reception, joined next by Miss Sparkly Jules and Sparkling Champagne (noise levels were rising) then Little Miss Bob and Claudia for Queen (other guests vacated the drawing room). Finally, Fabulous Fantastic Fan, undoubted winner of the coveted ‘Pink Thing’ Award arrived and morphed into the Sugar Plum Fairy before our very eyes (other guests now quickly veering off into the Club Lounge). It was a lovely moment, everyone is just how they are on the forum. And time to reflect: There were definitely no dodgily disguised men with us - hubby was convinced I was being groomed! To be honest, there’s no man alive could’ve kept up with us! (Except maybe Geth). After tea in the drawing room, we adjourned to Jan’s for champagne, strawberries, muffins and macaroons and someone suggested drawing lots to see who would be staking out the gym/swimming pool at 7am next morning, just in case Geth stayed over. Since I was the only one with the foresight to bring kit, I won! (Oh, all right, I really brought it on account of staying for the weekend). We then toasted ourselves a la Robin Hood: We are Gethin’s Girls! Time was rapidly running out now; so much for the 2 hours prep time, facial scaffold erecting etc - we had less than an hour to make ourselves fabulous. It was a case of: Does the dress still fit? Yes. Is it too hot for a shrug? Yes. Gold shoes then, I know I can dance in those. Blue eyeshadow? Oh, goody. Bye hubby. Mwah mwah. No, not now. Get off, you’ll crease me. It was less cool, calm and collected and more hot, bothered and all over the place.

Now, before I continue, let me just say this: I don't get out much. Consequently, I don’t drink much. And I stopped drinking wine years ago because it makes me light headed. So why oh why did I partake in two champagne receptions and go with the flow when someone suggested table wine? Fortunately, at the time of the group photo I’d only had the bubbly and slipped demurely into a space at Gethin’s side, receiving that trademark gorgeous smile. He then snaked his arm around my waist, with a detour to my shoulder and back down to the waist again (bit like the Dirty Dancing, girls!) Luckily, the dress was boned, or I’d have been a crumpled heap on the carpet. What have you done to me, Mr. Jones? And yes, it was there that Geth did say he’d love to come to our next get-together. I told him the date, by the way, hope you don’t mind!

There followed fine dining, beautiful dancing , fantastic company, and whilst the dance floor was packed for Ian and Camilla to teach us a Cha Cha, it was great fun, and I was able to nab Ian afterwards for a quick chat and signature, before doing the same with Camilla. Time for a break before the raffle and seeing Gethin alone, I approached with my programme and pen, thinking, I’ll just briefly introduce myself.
“Hi, I’m ScattyJan.” Couldn’t just say Jan, or Jaye, oh no. I had to say ‘Scatty’! He repeats it quizzically and I babble on about it being a jazz thing, but no; who am I kidding, the girls call me it …and by now, the sensible part of my brain has put it’s head in it’s hands and is shaking it slowly, before finally yelling ‘STOP!’ Thankfully, another guest butts in and saves me. And then the rest of the GG cavalry arrive and I find myself credited with maintaining Geth in a holding pattern. The pleasure was all mine, I‘m sure. We had a wonderful time discussing jodhpurs, the SCD message boards and violin playing amongst other things.

The band returned: Finally, my comfort zone. I was gagging to hit the dance floor and expend some nervous energy and calmed down considerably once I had. Overwrought, overwhelmed and overcome was how I think Jules described it. Meeting the girls for the first time, meeting Gethin - I still feel quite emotional now, probably because we’d built this night up for so long and now it’s all over. One thing struck me; normally, if you go out in a group of ten, smaller groups form, don’t they? Not Gethin’s Girls - we lived up to our motto:
One for all and all for Gethin! And we needed all ten nearby, just in case a Group Snatch opportunity presented itself! Although, did anyone find a suitable cupboard?

Words & Picture by SparklyJules

There is something about Gethin Jones that makes you feel that he is talking to you personally, a way of focusing that he has whilst also being aware of what else is going on around him.

We had been warned that women go a bit gaga when they meet him. We were prepared, or so we thought! When Geth arrived, there was a murmur passing round the room, and it was obvious to all who was there.

We were greeted for our photo with Gethin, Ian and Camilla with a warm hand clasp and a kiss on the cheek. For many of us, a lot of the rest of the evening was a blur, punctuated by moments of clarity when Geth was around.

A beautiful waltz with Camilla, just for us, surely…. some jokes, ditto…..a visit to the table….. an arm on the shoulder….a kiss or two…. a cheeky look…. a little bit of flirting… those deep brown eyes…..the eyebrow….

Some people have a ‘presence’, dominating any room they are in, Geth is like that. Yes, sure, he is very good looking, dashing that night in a suit reminiscent of Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack, but there is something else - a genuine way of making people feel special! If he wasn’t aware of it before, since Strictly, I don’t suppose he can have been left in any doubt that the women of the UK (and beyond) have fallen for him!

I can well believe that going to the supermarket is a bit more of a nightmare than usual these days, but Geth is still Geth, the boy from Cardiff who lets his mum look after him when he’s sick. Long may he remain so.

Words by Jan2555
Picture by BPBadgeWinner1982

On the 9thJanuary 2008 the GGs found a little golden nugget of information hidden deep within the internet. Gethin was going to dance again at a charity ball in Bristol on 21st March 2008. Tickets were bought and for the next 10 weeks plans were made and discussed in great detail on the GGs private forum boards.

Dresses were bought, some were fine right from the beginning but some were discarded over and over in attempts to find ‘just the thing’! Shoes were worn around the house whilst hoovering in order to make sure they didn’t rub your little toe. Nails that had not been looked after for years were being protected in rubber gloves and appointments made for manicures. Make up was a BIG issue, make up bags were dragged out the bottoms of dressing table drawers, dried up mascara and lipstick colours that went out of fashion in the 1980’s were rapidly discarded in place of shiny new boxes purchased from perfectly turned out ladies in the large department stores and larger branches of a well known high street chemist. We had virtual make up lessons where the relative merits of different kinds of eyeliner were chewed over and hard decisions made about eye shadow colours. Pictures of various bits of jewellery were posted and scrutinised and ‘magic knickers’ and how to deal with them in the Ladies Room were a huge source of amusement. I think I must have typed the words shrug and bolero every single day for 10 weeks (at least it seemed like that) and I never want to see one again!!.

So finally the glorious day dawned. We all packed up and headed for Bristol not really knowing what to expect from the evening we had looked forward to for so long. My fellow GG’s you all looked amazing in your finery BUT as soon as a certain Mr Jones walked into the room you could have been wearing your PJ’s because absolutely no-one would have noticed.

Geth you told us that you do look at this website, so I would like to say on my own behalf and that of my fellow GGs that were so fortunate to be with me in Bristol, that you are a wonderful man and that the way you treated us, the attention you gave to us and your wonderful dancing turned a much anticipated evening into a spectacular occasion that will never be forgotten.

by ClaudiaForQueen

Ihad my hair done in the morning and came home to find LittleMissBob in curlers in my daughters bedroom.

We loaded the car with muffins and stuff for the ball and set off for Bristol - we had a sudden urge to travel north on the M40 before turning south but we were just interested to see what that bit of motorway looked like! We arrived at Bristol (after a min round the houses!) and eventually found the hotel car park.Found our way to the drawing room where we found Lovetokeepgethhanging, Anaronkita, Jan2555, BPBadgeWinner1982 and ScattyJan surrounded by tea things and pink things and found we'd missed Gethin, Ian and Camilla - had we missed out completely or would fate bring us together?

LittleMissBob and I checked in and while we were queuing someone familiar passed me - it was SparklyJules followed by SparklingChampagne! Soon after FFF arrived so we all chatted for a while.
We retired to Jan2555’s room to eat muffins and strawberries drink bubbly and rest before getting ready for the ball. We all then went to our rooms - mine and FFF’s was along the corridor from Jan2555. Slight problem as my key card no longer opened the door but FFF’s did so while she showered I headed to reception to sort the keys. Halfway between mine and Jan2555’s room I passed a man in a kilt and braveheart shirt being shown the way by a nice young man in a suit who I realised after he passed that it was Geth! I rushed to tell Jan2555 and FFF that he'd walked past their door - but curses I'd missed the chance to speak to him!

....so having missed my chance to grab him in the corridor I got changed - it was now nearly time to meet for the champagne reception so I went along the corridor to see if Jan2555 was ready .. and walking towards me was Gethin!!!!

So I took a deep breath, carried on walking and said "Hello, looking forward to see you dance later"
G:"oh you’re coming to that are you?"
C:"yes - I'm afraid I've been stalking you, I'm one of the Gethins Girls"
at which point he put out his hand, shook it and said "so whats your name?"
C:"they call me claudiaforqueen"
G:"Claudia? Well thanks so much for your support I'm overwhelmed"
C:"No thank you- we've had so much fun and we've just met for the first time"
G:"Well we must have a drink later- see you"

At which point I casually sauntered up to Jan2555’s door and knocked on it. She opened the door and I squealed "I've just met Gethin - he held my hand" only to find he'd doublebacked and was walking past me so I had to dive into Jan2555’s room to try and keep some decorum.

Well after that we all met up and went to the champagne reception, queued up for a photo with all of us with Ian, Camilla and Gethin.

After that we had individual photos taken with the 3 of them - mine was awful so I didn’t buy it - the weird expression on my face may have had something to do with him having his hand round my waist! In one photo he's actually turned to look at me so obviously he'd realised he'd found the woman of his dreams!

As everyone has said - the dances were magical, the setting lovely, we were seated right behind Gethin and he went out of his way to pop by and chat. After his waltz he came over to ask what we thought of the dance and so we held up ready prepared 10s.

The chat from Cam, Ian and Geth was interesting and funny, we got referred to quite a bit.

After the auction we waited to waylay him and he promised to come back and chat. I popped to the loo and when I returned I rejoined the group and found myself next to Gethin - not planned despite what you any of you may say!
Anyway we chatted about BP, SCD,E24, China , jodhpurs, a little bit of rugby and lots of other stuff - the conversation flowed quite naturally despite him draping and arm round my shoulder - like I say he'd found the woman of his dreams!

We danced a group cha cha and then normal party dancing and we all talked til 2am.

We had breakfast together, watched E24 with cheering and waving, bumped into Ian at reception who said he'd come as a last treat "hello girls!" I offered Ian a muffin (as a present) and when I explained that they were for fundraising, he insisted on giving some money.

by LittleMissBob

Afterspending Thursday night rushing around trying to finish all of the little jobs that needed to be done, my final task was to get a good nights sleep so that I'd be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for the ball. It didn't quite happen. All week I'd been feeling a bit worried that I wasn't excited enough about what was going to happen on Friday. I was really looking forward to meeting the rest of the Bristol 10 as we were calling ourselves, but just couldn't quite comprehend that Gethin was going to be part of the plan as well. It all caught up with me on Thursday night and I ended up having a bit of a rubbish night’s sleep.

Friday morning came around and I managed to get out of bed a lot more sprightly than normal. After the final girlification stages and checking my packing list (again), I packed the car, said goodbye to the cats, and headed off down the M1 to pick up my travel-buddy.

I was a teensy bit worried when I arrived there as she was at the hairdressers having her hair done and I'd have to meet her family before I met her. And walk round their house with my rollers in! I needn't have worried as they were all lovely to me (special mention to her 9 year-old daughter who looked after me and showed me all her girly makeup and jewellery!) After de-rollering my hair and making sure we'd got more than enough muffins to keep us going, we set off to Bristol to meet everyone else. The journey was fab, even if we did head the wrong way up the M40 and struggled to find the hotel car park!

On the way to reception to check in, we walked past the bar but there were no faces I could recognise.I needn't have worried. As we stood in the queue to check-in, I spied a collection of pink from the corner of my eye and found the GG party was in full swing, with balloons, badges and more pink items of clothing in one small space than I'd ever seen before! I also heard the news that not only had Camilla been over for a chat earlier, the man himself had also been spotted - he was wearing his glasses and I'd missed it!!!!!! Suddenly the little detour up the M40 seemed like a BIG mistake. I dumped my bags in my room (which was astonishing - the amount of pillows on the bed made me feel like a princess!), grabbed my pink things, and headed back down to the drawing room.

It'll not surprise any of you at all to hear this, but the rest of the girls were just as glorious as I expected them to be. Not that there was anyone else in the drawing room by the time we took over, but you could never have believed this was the first time we had met - we were far too chatty and giggly! The next plan was to descend on a hotel room for champagne, strawberries and nibbles. A suitably GG-way of celebrating the excitement of the night ahead. Absent friends were toasted, and I can confirm that the muffins were completely scrumptious. It was just a shame every Friday couldn't be spent like this!

It was then time to get ready for the ball. Things were goingwell, I didn't smudge my eyeliner, my hair responded well to being recurled, the shoes looked as gorgeous as ever and I even had time to phone my Daddy to wish him a Happy Birthday. Then disaster struck. While on the phone to my Dad, I noticed that something about my dress didn't quite look right ......... there was a white mark on the bottom at the front!!!!! Something in my suitcase had leaked on the dress! Why on earth didn't I get a separate cover for my dress - it was on my list of things to do but I just ever got round to it. After quickly ending the call (sorry Dad), I managed to wash off the mark and while grabbing my hairdryer to get it to dry in time, I prayed that no one would notice. And they didn't (or at least if they did, they didn't tell me!) - maybe the shoes had diverted everyone's attention away. The plan was to meet by the lift at 6.55pm, and despite the receptionist telling me that she was putting all out rooms together, I only had one other GG for company on my floor so we walked up together. I had to confess to her that I was feeling sick with nerves. Incredibly excited yes, but my stomach was doing flips. The realisation that the night wasn't just about meeting the other girls was starting to sink in. Gethin was going to be there as well ...... maybe it was a good thing I'd managed to block that out earlier in the week otherwise I'd have been a complete gibbering mess by the time the ball started.

Slowly but surely, we all congregated by the lift waiting for the rest of the girls to arrive - everyone looked stunning and I was starting to calm down. Then I heard a GG story of how she'd met Gethin in the corridor more than once - apart from being gutted that I'd missed him AGAIN, this was enough to send the butterflies in my stomach into overdrive. Walking down to the room where the Champagne Reception was being held, I kept thinking of what an absent GG had said about keeping your head held high and looking as though you belonged there - it just about got me through. I was trying to distract myself by looking at things like the table plan. We were table 10 and Gethin was on table 3. Oh bum - our table looked like it would be at the other end of the room from Geth. Waiting in the reception room, we stood close to the photography area and decided that a group photo of all of us with Ian, Camilla & Gethin was a must, while some individual shots were also planned. I decided to only have a group photo as my fake smile looks awful ........ what the hell was I thinking?!?!?! I'm now kicking myself a bit that I didn't get another photo but I'll just have to live and learn (and pray that my chance comes round again!). We watched some people have their photo taken with Ian & Camilla ...... and then Gethin arrived in his suit, looking just like the Bond photos he did for Heat magazine. We took our turn to get the group photo done, and afterwards while waiting for others to get their photos, I found a nice little corner where I had a GREAT view of Gethin. I was a bit disappointed when it was announced that dinner was served!

Walking through into the main ballroom, I was shocked at how small it was. Pleasantly shocked actually. The smaller the room, the better the view of the dance floor. Some of the others had found the table before I got there and it was in a good spot, one row of tables back but facing the stage right in the middle. Then I noticed the table between us and the dance floor .... table 3. Surely not, that was too much of a stroke of luck surely? We couldn't really have Gethin sitting right behind us? Oh yes we could! Fate had obviously decided to become an honorary GG that night.

The main event got started with Geth doing a funny little speech at the start (and playing with his jacket - nerves?), mentioning how Strictly had enabled him to take part in events like this and how the Blue Peter audience had changed somewhat! He was going to be dancing the waltz with Camilla and that was more than OK by the rest of us! Whilst eating the starters and waiting for the waltz to begin, another bit of fate came our way. We wanted to hold scorecards with '10' on them for when the dance had finished but how was that going to happen? Quite easily as it turned out as we were sat at table 10 and there was a table number we could wave round in the air! After scrapping together some more score cards from bits of paper and lipsticks we were ready for the Waltz.

Gethin was dressed all in black and Camilla was wearing a lemon yellow dress with culottes at the bottom. The goosebumps started even before the soundman pressed 'play' on the CD. To be honest, I can't actually remember much of the waltz now, just certain moves that I've seen numerous times on the internet and the DVD, but to see them close up ...... it was so beautiful. You get a different feel of the dance when it's performed live. You can hear the shoes moving across the floor, you can see the looks on faces so much more clearly, and you can hear the gasps of delight around the room. The whole performance felt so much more intimate. Rapturous applause broke out round the room and I found myself cheering along - a completely involuntary reaction for a wonderful dance. Camilla must have taught him well as you'd have never known he'd not danced for 3 months. I've no idea if anyone waved the '10's in the end as I was facing the dance floor, not the rest of the table and sorry girls, but you were not the focus of my attention for those few minutes! A bit more chat from Gethin followed while Camilla did a quick change to get ready for a tango with Ian. I know this sounds daft as they're both professionals, but Holy Moly they were fantastic. TV does not do this pair justice. Again, the mood of the dance felt different as I was seeing it live but it was absolutely electrifying.

The dancing was over for now and another round of food was served. I was quite happily tucking into my main course when a figure leaned over between me and another GG and asked 'What did you make of it then?' OH MY GOD. Gethin was stood right next me. I was about to say 'We all gave it a 10 with the scorecards' (even if I wasn't actually sure!) when I realised I had a mouth full of chicken. OF ALL THE TIMES I COULD HAVE TAKEN A MOUTHFUL OF FOOD!! Ahem. I tried to finish eating as quickly as I could but everyone else had a bit of banter with him about the scorecards, before he said he'd be back later for a proper chat but he needed his food (quelle surprise - that boy and his grub eh?). I think I may have had a bit of a sulk at this point at my sheer bad luck about not being to talk to him.

We then had two more dances from Ian & Camilla - firstly, a brilliant cheeky cha-cha featuring lots of bottom wiggling by both of them, but such a great amount of fun. Ian then chatted while Camilla changed (bless him, he's a real sweetie) and then Camilla chatted with us while Ian took his turn to get changed. I don't particularly like the Rumba, I find it dull on SCD and wish they'd replace it, but I should have guessed from Camilla's gorgeous dress that it would be amazing. I had goosebumps all the way through it and nearly cried at one point (wouldn't have done my mascara much good though) - words cannot describe just how stunning it was. As much as I relished the chance to see Gethin & Camilla do the waltz in person, the rumba was my dance of the night - no question.

The night carried on with pudding and after making a quick stop-off to choose my group photo, the auction began. It took a while to get going (£1600 reserve on a meal at Claridges stalled the proceedings for a bit), but overall it went well. Geth had the winning bid on a pole-dancing lesson for 6, much to the amusement of the room, and a GG managed to be winning bidder on the Dyson. We also had the chance to see Geth doing his 'catalogue' pose while modelling a pair of sunglasses that were being auctioned. Bad sunglasses but VERY good model! The GG's table had even been noticed by the auctioneer and we got an honorary mention at one point!

Then it was our turn to dance. The best part of 180 people headed for a tiny dance floor, to be taught to cha-cha by Ian and Camilla. This could get messy. It started well. The first move wasn't too bad - a basic side-to-side type step and we seemed to get into the swing of it fairly well. Then another step was added (pointing your feet about) and again, we all got the hang of putting the two together, eventually. Finally we had to add a spin or two in there. It all seemed to fall apart at this point. People were spinning all over the place in different directions and on a small dance floor it wasn't a pretty sight! No one seemed to care though, we were having far too much fun. We may not have been dancing a technically brilliant cha-cha, but we'd got the spirit of the dance down to a tee!

The band came on for the first part of their 2-part set and I decided with a few others to go and get my photos. I should have guessed what was happening earlier, but the GG's with me in the photo queue were gradually disappearing off one by one. I just assumed they weren't bothering waiting (the photo couple were lovely but a overwhelmed with the queue) but no. They'd realised Geth was talking to a GG and went to join in. By the time I'd twigged and joined them he'd gone! I was really beginning to think it might not be my night after all. Would I ever have the chance to meet Geth? I was told that he'd promised he'd be back for a proper chat in a few minutes so I waited and decided that I wasn't going anywhere. Even though at one point I was desperate for the loo, I KNEW what would happen if I nipped off!

And true to his word, 10 minutes later he came back and had a good old natter with us all. I don't think the 10 of us could believe our luck, he was even more friendly, charming and flirty than we could ever have hoped for. I managed to ask him what he was planning to do with the pole-dancing lessons (give them to his sister as a present) and introduce myself as the Webmistress. Apart from that I just found myself listening as I was in a state of shock, and couldn't speak very easily! As unfortunately I can't lay claim to any Geth kisses during the night unlike some of the other GG's, I've decided to take on the role of his PA instead. After all he did say that he looks at the website to find out what he's meant to be doing that week! He told us that E24 had been recommissoned and he was loving being involved with it. He also said that his sister was now helping out with his agent, how much he enjoyed his time on SCD and how he used to go on the message boards after the Saturday nights shows as he was still hyped up from performing. Full credit to him, he didn't have to talk to us at all, let alone for that long, but he really took an interest in how we got together and how we were enjoying the night. I can't remember which GG said it to me later, but she said she was almost weary of meeting him, as they say you should never meet your heroes, they'll only ever disappoint you. Absolutely 110% rubbish in this case - he was a total joy - everything we could have hoped for and more. It's strange the things you remember though - I was stood at the side of him and couldn't help but notice that cute little bit of hair hanging down that never seems to make it into the sticky-up bit properly.

Time was up and he had to be whisked away for the final part of the evening - the raffle. By this time, Geth had completely settled into the role of host and was a total natural. The first raffle prize was £250 cash and in the spirit of the evening, Geth (quite rightly) wasn't going to let the guy who won take the prize home - the whole evening was for charity after all, and the money ended up going back. One of the prizes was a B&B stay at the hotel which lead to Geth's comment about 'Who's staying at the hotel tonight?' - we all put our hands up and cheered. His reply? 'I know who you lot want to stay over!' - I'm not sure he'd have had that kind of giggle with us, had he not had the chance for a proper chinwag a bit earlier! The raffle was rattling on and after some dodgy prizes (waterproof hat anyone?), the one I'd got my eye on came up - a copy of Oz & James' Big Wine Adventure book signed by both Oz Clarke & James May. 'White 80' Gethin called - it was my number! Luck decided to repay me for the chicken incident earlier in the evening by letting me win the book and collect the prize from Geth! I was a VERY happy bunny. I wasn't the only GG winner in the raffle though - a last minute prize of two t-shirts signed by Ian, Camilla & Gethin came up and was won by our Irish GG! He did actually seem quite chuffed that one of us had won the t-shirts! Hopefully she’ll tell her own side of the tale, but let's just say Gethin won't be forgetting her in a hurry!

Geth then had to rush off to catch his China flight but he made sure he stopped by our table to say goodbye and thanks. I've said it before and I'll say it again - he's a true gentleman. While some GG’s danced the night away, the rest of us headed to the bar for a good old natter about the evening and how magical it'd been. In our wildest dreams it'd couldn't have gone that well - that's not real life surely? Before we knew it, it was heading for 2.30am and plans for breakfast we made (meeting at 10.30 so we could get a bit of shut-eye). I headed back to my room with and we talked about it all again - just how brilliant the night had been and just how wonderful Gethin was. He went beyond the call of duty and we loved him all the more for it! Even though I was shattered, my eyes were sore from wearing my contacts for far too long, and feet were starting to ache a bit, once I was back in my room, I had to do a quick little dance around. I really did feel like a princess returning back from the ball!

Sleep came in fairly short bursts during the night (my head was spinning far too much to nod off properly) and after being woken up by the maid (I’d left the Do Not Disturb sign on the door the wrong way round so it said Please Service My Room instead) I couldn't quite get back to sleep again. A last minute change of plans came through - breakfast would be earlier so we could all watch E24 together. E24! How could I have forgotten! I have NEVER got ready so quickly but made my way downstairs to find everyone else was still on the same high I was. After breakfast we made our way back to a bedroom and we all watched E24 together - such a giggle but slightly surreal at the same time. The fact that it was all Geth on this week's show seemed to be the perfect ending to the perfect day.

And so the memories of a Webmistress end here. I'll confess I was on a bit of a downer by the time I got back on Saturday afternoon. Partly because I was so tired after not a lot of sleep the night before, but mostly because the night was so damn perfect, I don't think I'll have that much fun again for a while yet. Recounting my side of the ball has cheered me up again and I may even have another little dance around my bedroom tonight! I may not have done the full Cinderella and won the heart of Prince Charming but I don't care - I'm now a fully fledged princess!

by ScattyJan

As we know, message boardingis addictive. Even more so when you bump into a bunch of like minded individuals who enjoy a natter! (And the GG’s could not only represent England at that, but also Wales and quite possibly the rest of the world too!) On the SCD Message Boards though, it isn’t just general chit chat - passions are roused, tempers fray and in some cases, people are banned! Gethinitis raged across the boards like the great fire through London: This competition matters, it‘s serious. The last series of SCD certainly fired everyone up - not least because of what many fans saw as a travesty - Matt being voted though to the final instead of Gethin.

The bookies had Gethin and Alesha as joint favourites and an unofficial forum poll before the quarter final showed Gethin on 112, Alesha on 107, Matt 34 and Leticia 1. As you can imagine, the place was in uproar when, just a week later, the judges voted Matt through - so much so, Claudia felt compelled to mention it on ITT. A whole new raft of previously unknown names appeared to express their disgust; The GG‘s, aware that ‘bad losers‘ comments would be directed at them, refrained. The question was raised: If Matt had been voted out, would there have been so much outrage? Matt fans may have been upset for sure, but it wouldn’t have been unexpected and SCD would certainly have been spared the subsequent allegations of fixing: How much did the producers want a finalist on the live tour? And how much did the judges want Alesha to win? Having brought in the dance off to avoid a situation like the year before, when judges favourite Emma Bunton was outvoted by Matt Dawson, it appears they preferred a foregone conclusion. Were the judges privy to the phone vote? Gethin’s Girls were in no doubt that the build up to the semi would have shown a big lead for their man - both Alesha and Matt having previously appeared in the bottom two (Alesha’s vote collapsing the week of Matt’s meltdown points to a sympathy vote by the neutrals who assumed, rightly, that she would be saved by the judges) - thus the only way to ensure Gethin didn’t book his way into the final by right, would be to place him bottom of the leader board.

His Argentine Tango was at least equal to Alesha’s, his powerful, musical Paso slaughtered without rhyme or reason. Matt’s waltz was ‘nice’ to paraphrase the experts on the red button. Worth four tens? Not according to Philip Jackson, who made it quite clear to Claudia that, in his exalted opinion, Gethin should have gone through. Thus the judges ensured an Alesha victory by taking out her main competition. Not that Gethin’s Girls had any issue with an Alesha victory - many admitted she was their next choice and they’d have  voted for the best dancer on the night of the final. But with the public paying good money to vote for their ‘favourites’, wouldn’t it have been fair to let them decide the final two? For some ‘boarders’ the voting system had to be explained - they simply thought we hadn’t cast enough votes for Gethin, when in fact, fifty million people could’ve voted for him that night and it would have made no difference. Which makes it all the harder to accept.

The first six weeks of the competition belonged to Alesha, the final three however, when tasked with two dances, were all Gethin’s. He outperformed everyone left and, to quote Anton Du Beke, is: “The best celebrity ballroom dancer SCD has ever had”. Not bad for someone that many fans were confusing with T4’s Steve Jones and without the benefit of the fansites and publicity enjoyed by both Alesha and Matt, pop star and soap star respectively. In fact, the only websites dedicated to Gethin were a couple of blogs, and officially, the Blue Peter website. Now of course, we have our own semi-official site, given a seal of approval by the man himself, much to our delight. The point needed to be made, following an article whose writer claimed it would definitely have been an Alesha victory - as more people viewed her websites! It’s a shame they couldn’t count how many searches were made on ‘Gethin Jones’ (And found only an older, gentlemanly namesake!) Now, of course, when you Google Gethin you’re spoilt for choice!

The tummy lurch felt in the aftermath of the show has receded now, but the niggling feeling that fans were cheated of the final two they wanted, hasn’t. There were many threads begun at the outset of the show, expressing concerns over the dance off format, and then also, following Kelly’s unfortunate withdrawal, about another three person semi-final. The fact the dance-off was unconfirmed until the weekend brought even more suspicion that someone, somewhere had a sneaky peek at the phone vote. The overall vote was down this year; with the fund-raising aspect for Children in Need removed and the dance off still in force next year, comments posted at the start of the last series suggest it’s destined to fall further still. With the Strictly Sport Relief special upon us and no votes required, let’s hope the viewing figures don’t do the same.

by ScattyJan

AfterGethin exploded onto the dance floor in week nine, Strictlyaddiction posed the question: When did you become a Gethin’s Girl? And it wasn’t the obvious reason for most…

When the list for last year’s celebrities was announced, the talk was all about the girls - glamorous, sexy, fit - surely none of the boys could compete? And after the rehearsed-by-text meringue (trust me, that’s the correct spelling for that particular dance) no-one was disagreeing.

And yet, a silent army was gathering to support the Blue Peter Action Man, some egged on by the their children. Strictly viewers who had never voted before, who’d never entered the murky world of message boarding and didn’t even know who he was! There was much Googling (and goggling) of Gethin!

In the preview show, Charlies Angel fell “head over heels” from the moment Camilla pointed back at him when Gethin asked: “What’s your ideal partner?” His modest response was to trip over while holding open the door for her. Who could resist? The handsome, dark yet shy demeanour reminded many of Ramps - their favourite in Series 4 - and they also joined the message boards, finding others who thought the same, regardless of differing ages and backgrounds.

Strictlyaddiction herself remembers his nervous smile before the start and cringing at how harsh the judges were, yet, at the same time, noting how well he took the criticism. Along with Gethin&Camilla, I too worried for Gethin, so disheartened following those judges comments. I found myself punching the air and shouting “YES” when his name was called. Our faith was repaid: as each week passed he became more accomplished on the dance floor.

For many, ‘Gethinitis’ hit big during the week of the group Jitterbug - and the appearance on the dance floor of Flying Officer Gethin. We could see he was more comfortable letting himself go within the safety of  the group (it wasn’t just the uniform, honest!) And then there was the Foxtrot wink - and the training for it - that accompanied one of the most beautiful songs ever, a  favourite of Chris 1314, who gave a name to the symptoms we were beginning to suffer from (impromptu bouts of dancing, permanent smiling and watching Blue Peter for the first time in years, amongst others!)

His Viennese Waltz put him top of the leader board; on the Ballroom side of things, he was a contender for sure - but still the judges wanted more ‘performance’. Leaving Canadiangethinfan in a ‘puddle’ just wasn’t enough!

The week the celebrities were pitched headlong into two dances proved to be Gethin’s pivotal week: the breath-taking, romantic Waltz followed by the electric, sexy Salsa, and a whole new battalion of Gethin fans joined us in the Gethin’s Girls Lounge, the coolest  -and frequently, hottest - thread in the joint! That was the week everyone sat up and took note: This man was a serious challenger - the judges knew their job would be so much more difficult; Matt Cutler jokingly posed the question: “Where did he come from? Get back down there!” And our lounge jumped from an already incredible 1700 plus postings to over 3500 in less than a week. To quote Hellypot: “I’ve never really got into previous Strictlys until the later stages, but he had me hooked from the start. See-through shirted, salsa-ing Gethin was responsible for me seeking out other people to talk about him with!”

And it wasn’t a one week wonder either, following up with a top-scoring American Smooth and Jive - Lightning-slide-thunder-slide - woe betide any DJ who refuses to play ‘Knock on Wood’ when the GG’s are on tour! More converts slid across, the thread marched onward and upward. With a powerful Paso Doble and steamy Argentine Tango wowing us all - we enjoy them with mixed feelings, of course - still more fans arrived, unannounced but bearing chocolate (they’d taken note of the initiation process before joining!)

Much credit is due to Camilla’s musical choices throughout the competition - they proved irresistible, totally engaging the audience whenever they took to the floor. Grab’em by the ears and their hearts and minds will follow! Combined with a down to earth, funny, talented and gorgeous fella, what wasn’t there to love?

by the GG's

No champagne or wine, it's well known you don't drink
What to get for your birthday, that's quite hard let me think.
Oh a trek up a mountain, that is probably the best
But I've heard it's pure chilly, hope you pack a thermal vest.
Keep your eyes looking upwards, whatever else don't look down
You will soon be back safely, on solid firmer ground.
Now whatever the weather enjoy your day, have some fun
Celebrate with family and friends when the day is all done.
Let us all sing Happy Birthday and give a glorious great cheer
Gethin Jones is now thirty and has passed another year.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GETHIN Ger

Happy Birthday to You
We love you that's True !!
You look like a dream and you dance like one too !!! Jan2555

Wishing you a very happy birthday - 30's nothing - I am sure you have yet to reach your peak! SparklyJules



As you celebrate your birthday,
Remember what you've learnt,
Now you can dance the night away in style,
In the trousers that you burnt!

So take care up those mountains,
And use a compass bearing,
We'd like to see you back here soon
To give that see-through shirt another airing!

Happy Birthday Gethin! BPBadgeWinner

ODE TO THE MODERN MAN

Us GG's have compiled a list of attributes required
to make a modern gentleman universally admired...

1. Be loving to your parents and attentive to your sis
(from what we've seen we have to say you score ok on this)

2.Be honest and hardworking, and not a moaning bratt
(well unlike some that we could name you get top marks for that)

3. Be brave, heroic, steadfast, and in a crisis, calm
(through yomping, cresta runs and fires, you haven't come to harm)

4. Have talent in creative arts
(now lets see how you do.....
well music gets a great big tick, and now there's dancing too!)

5. A sense of humour is a must to bag a girl these days
(with Dolly quips and cheeky winks you've brought us 'Happy Days')

6. A manly man with a feminine side
(there's nothing wrong with that - you still play rugby with your mates, but know 'bout 'Touche Eclat')

7. Take a set-back on the chin, be gracious in defeat
(Just like you did with Strictly, even though unfairly beat)

8. Be good with Kids
(for ladies always like to plan ahead-
you see Blue Peter as your job, we see 'training' instead!)

9. Speak another language
(gosh, you're romping home with this, for girls DO love to find themselves a cunning linguist....)

10. And finally, we have to say it doesn't hurt a bit
to be tall and dark and handsome, and very very fit!

So Geth, you score a perfect ten, in attributes of gentlemen
No wonder then, if gossip's true, a certain KJs fond of you..

We wish you well, and hope you've found
a partnership long-lasting
But should it cease, the GG's
will be here, just for the asking! Sparkling Champagne

Penblwydd Hapus i ti! DaringTangoEm

Happy Birthday Geth - Have a great day! Chris1314

Happy Birthday Gethin

May all your dreams come trueJanSparkles

Not very good with poems etc, so just a simple but effective and in my loudest voice!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GETH supaflawless

And in a tiny whisper - so he has to come up very close -

Hi there Geth - Happy Birthday.................. Anaronkita

Happy birthday Gethin. May all your  wishes come true,

*bigwetsloppykiss*LadyVelvet

by Anaronkita

On February 12th Geth will celebrate his 30th birthday by climbing one of the four highest peaks in the British Isles. On February 14th he, Zoe and Andy will be here in Scotland to climb Ben Nevis, the last of the four.

If they make it to the top and the weather is clear the views will make all the hard work well worth while. They will see Carn Mor Dearg, Aonach Mor, and Aonach Beag, and to the south, beyond Glen Nevis and the rocky ridge of the Mamores, the mountains of Glen Coe.

Although, at 4406ft or 1344m Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the country, it is still one of the most popular climbs. It also has a reputation for being one of the most dangerous. Every year numbers of climbers are air lifted or carried off its slopes, so I hope they have taken their training seriously.

According to the statistics, Geth will have only one chance in six of good visibility from the top of the mountain, so the Blue Peter team needs to know how to use a map and a compass if they want to avoid walking off some of the 2000ft drops along the summit route. (I know we GGs would volunteer to catch him – but where to stand?)

Many thousands of walkers climb Ben Nevis each year but it is still a serious undertaking and it is important for the three to dress properly for the mountain. Scotland's weather changes very rapidly and when the mountain isn’t snow covered it can still be cold, windy and often wet. This will all be familiar to Gethin and Andy, but Zoe has spent a lot of time in a bikini recently.

If they have been tasked to walk the easiest route they will probably start at Achintee Farm, or the Youth Hostel, in Glen Nevis. The first half of the climb is fairly easy. Then the path zig-zags up the rounded dome of the upper mountain. The going becomes rough and rocky but they will have views which stretch out to the south, west and north. At the top there is an emergency shelter in which to eat (Gethin will be pleased), and the ruins of an observatory built in 1883.

A practiced climber can take around four hours to get to the summit using this route, but in September each year there is a race to the top and the record is under one and a half hours for the round trip. Sounds like another challenge for Geth.

Other ways to the top are more difficult. The 2000ft cliffs on the north east side of Ben Nevis have long been a favourite for serious climbers, both in summer and winter. The training the guys have been doing might suggest that they will take this more dangerous route?

The upper part of the mountain can be approached by leaving the easier route and taking the path round the back of Ben Nevis and up onto Carn Mor Dearg. They would then traverse the narrow rocky ridge of the Carn Mor Dearg Arete which leads on to a climb to the summit from the much harder eastern side. They will  need to understand the local weather, and be very fit, if they choose to reach the summit from this direction.

Sounds like an average day out for our Gethin then! He’ll end up tired, aching, wind blown and very happy.

And any of Gethin’s fans who spot him will have had a glorious Valentine’s Day treat!

by SparklyJules

We know a few things about Gethin Clifford Jones (yes, his middle name really IS Clifford!). First of all, we know him as a Children’s TV programme presenter. Though this was also his job back in Wales, it was in Blue Peter that he came to the attention of a wider audience. Then, he stole our hearts as a semi-finalist in Strictly Come Dancing 2007.

But who exactly is he? He seems to have so many sides to his personality, that I admit to being a little confused at times – or maybe he really is just perfect!

Action Man
He is Blue Peter’s ‘Have a Go Geth’, (he likes to be called Geth, so, Geth it is - more of that later). We have watched his pain and personal struggles in the Royal Marine Commando Yomp (a 30 mile walk/run carrying full kit and weaponry), we’ve seen him tackle a high dive, try out sports like wrestling and boxing, fly planes, play rugby and wear kilts, all in the name of childrens’ entertainment. So, ‘Action Man’ is one label we can give him, and thank heavens for it!

Sportsman
After leaving University, he had trials for a professional rugby team, and there have been a couple of newspaper articles expressing mixed feelings about not having been able to continue in this vein. Sports have obviously always been important to Geth, and he has said that rugby helps him by giving an outlet for aggression. He may occasionally regret not going down the sportsman route, but life seems to be treating him just fine right now!

Musician
We know Geth played violin for many years, and he can play piano (and drums). Rugby was his first love, and the musical career seems to have taken a back seat.
He can’t ‘scratch’ for toffee though!

Presenter
Geth’s been a TV presenter for several years, presenting childrens’ programmes, pop programmes, and acting as host for events in Wales. This New Year he co-hosted BBC One’s live programme, attracting over 9 million viewers. So, Geth’s was the last voice those of us watching heard in 2007, and the first of 2008. Some achievement!

Dancer
….and then there is Strictly…….
Entering this competition no doubt appealed as a physical and mental challenge. It also must have occurred to an intelligent chap that this was going to be a profile-boosting opportunity. However, this is one that could have, as many of his friends apparently predicted, ended in disaster by leaving in week 3.
Craig Revel-Horwood summed up his view of Geth (and many of us ended up agreeing with him – in itself a first!) that Geth was possibly the sexiest celebrity ‘Strictly’ had ever seen. Right from the beginning, Geth put his all into this competition. That commitment (OK, and the fact that he is just a bit attractive) meant that each week we sighed or yelled in triumph as he passed through to the next week.
The judges gave him ahard time from week 1, expecting a lot from our ‘Action Man’.  Through the weeks we watched him progress, taking criticism seriously and stoically, but making us laugh, though some of what hit him must have been hurtful.

Gentleman
Gorgeous Gethin, Gethin the Gallant
Geth did a great job on the ballroom dancing. Philip Jackson – technical commentator - regularly singling his posture, hold and footwork out for comment. Arlene called him by some of her alliterative names…..Bruno got quite excited by the whole thing and called him The Prince of Wales (on BP he is known as 'The Prance of Wales’). He had problems with intimacy, causing much hilarity from Camilla….(which makes him a normal British guy, not shy!)
In interviews and training clips, he came across as a genuinely nice man, self-effacing, generous to other competitors, polite, gentle manners, tough on himself and, amazingly, having no inkling of his sheer ‘presence’. Hearts were breaking all over the UK!

The Loin King – from Geth to Gethin
Breakthrough week came after a 2-hour session with an acting coach.  In the clips that we saw, Geth seemed not to believe that anything he was doing was worth watching.  Oh boy, how wrong could you be? He adopted an alter-ego, Gethin the dancer, who was fearless and confident, whereas Geth just wanted to give everyone a cup of tea (which is very nice, too!). With growing confidence, we saw more of that cheeky sense of humour – he laughed and said he was having performance problems…..and made a memorable quip about Dolly Parton - Oooh, Mr Jones!
The waltz was beautiful, but then we would expect no less from one of the best male celebrity ballroom dancers ever to be on Strictly (well said, Anton!). However, the Salsa shirt will surely go down in ‘Strictly’ history – as much as for it being so beautifully modelled around Geth’s fine physique as for the fact that he genuinely seemed not to realise that it was see-through. Sheer energy, exuberance and some fine hip-swivelling – what HAD happened to the bashful boy?
Mindful of judges’ comments, Geth and Cam worked hard for the following week, and produced a stunning American Smooth, and a jive with ‘the longest knee-slide in the history of Strictly Come Dancing’. Happy days, oh yes, very happy days!

Passionate Man, the Prince of Darkness
The semi final came round, and Geth danced the Paso and the Argentine Tango, giving both as much as he could, and we loved him for it. Controlled aggression in the Paso and barely controlled passion in the AT – well, where did the boy from Wales with intimacy and performance issues go? He even wore pink for Camilla.
The dance off left Geth out of the competition, but not out of our affections. We saw him deal with defeat with stoicism and good humour, but also with truth – he was gutted, so were we!

Bad cook, but our hero!
So, we are all now watching Blue Peter for the first time in quite a few years, eagerly awaiting his next challenge and fervently hoping that BBC producers are well aware of the asset he has become. We’ve also seen the self-confessed terrible cook (now that’s on the pitifully small list of things he CAN’T do) on cookery programmes, with a wave and a smile! He has also been gracious enough to acknowledge his fans, with some humour (‘That wasn’t weird at all’), it has to be said, but also with enthusiasm.
What next for Mr Jones? Whatever it is, we will be following his progress. Increasing in confidence, we hope, as fearless in showing more of his personality as he is in taking up some of those hair-raising challenges and on the rugby pitch. Somewhere in there, though, I suspect that there is still a remnant of the geeky kid who wore thick glasses, braces on his teeth and a pudding basin haircut. Perhaps that’s what will keep him as the nice guy and gentleman we know he is!


Ladies and gentlemen, the one, the only, Gethin Jones!