One Show presenter Alex Jones says she was “too scared” as a young girl to admit she wanted to work in television.

The broadcaster, 49, said growing up in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, she had never believed such a career would be possible.

“When I was a little girl growing up in south Wales, I thought I’d like to be a presenter, but I was too scared to say anything because nobody in south Wales became broadcasters, especially not on national television,” she remembered.

Jones, who has been hosting the BBC’s flagship magazine show since 2010, got fired from two television jobs after university before getting her first break aged 21.

Recalling a day when she presented from Windsor Castle, she said: “I really thought about that little girl that day and thought ‘I can’t believe that this is what I do for a job’.”

She did not make it as a TV researcher, but impressed in an audition for the BBC’s first digital channel, BBC Choice, and went on to present for the Welsh language channel S4C.

The One Show celebrates 20 years on air this month with a week of special programmes.

Alex and co-host Roman Kemp will lead coverage in the studio while there will also be segments from across Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland as some of the show’s memorable stories are revisited.

Jones believes the show has continued to be a success because of its “variety”.

She said: “It’s nice for the audience to switch on at 7pm and see these guests from the latest blockbusters side by side with a beautiful nature VT or the 500 Words writing competition.

“Its appeal is wide because of the variety and the content. It’s content-rich and a show that’s crafted so carefully.

“I think it’ll always have a place because it’s a really solid place to start the evening.”