BBC Morning Live presenter Gethin Jones was supported by BBC bosses as he stepped away from the show due to his commitments to a new role with the broadcaster
BBC Morning Live’s Gethin Jones has stepped away from the show, with the support of BBC bosses. The presenter was granted a leave of absence while he takes on a new role as Team Wales’ chef de mission for the Commonwealth Games.
Viewers will have already noticed Gethin’s absence from the morning show, as he has been missing all week. Ordinarily, he presents the show alongside Helen Skelton, but she has been joined by Rav Wilding, Holly Hamilton, Gordon Smart and Olympian Greg Rutherford instead these past few days.
Gethin has been in Glasgow during his week away, as a result of his new role as the figurehead for the Welsh team at this year’s Commonwealth Games. He was appointed to the role last year and his job includes motivating the athletes and support staff, as well as representing Wales at official functions and acting as a spokesperson for the team.
Helen Skelton and Gethin Jones on BBC Morning Live (
Image:
BBC)
He and all the other chef de missions, including New Zealand weightlifter Nigel Avery and Aussie swimmer Petria Thomas, hae been in Scotland for seminars, presentations and workshops.
Gethin told Wales Online that his bosses at the BBC were “incredibly supportive” of his absence from Morning Live and that the timing for the actual games worked out “unbelievably well”.
His role as chef de mission was “ambassadorial” but that it was “great” to see how everything worked behind the scenes. He explained: “The detail is just phenomenal. Everything is geared towards the athletes being in the best environment to succeed when they come here in the summer and every day, every hour there’s something to consider.”
Gethin is the chef de mission for the Welsh team at the Commonwealth Games (
Image:
New Theatre Cardiff)
Gethin holds a Master’s degree in Sports Directorship and said he was “emotional” and “really chuffed” that he was able to use his degree in this new job.
He added that he was leaning on his athlete friend, including Olympic cyclists Becky James and Sir Chris Hoy, to help him research what might be expected of him.
They told him it was “different to being at the Olympics”. Gethin explained that there was “a different kind of emotion” to representing Wales at the Commonwealth Games.
Gethin’s most important piece of advice came from Chris, who told him that he had to “know everything”. As such, Gethin made sure he knew something about every one of the 214 welsh athletes headed to the Games. He clarified that this was not because of the media, but because he wanted to have something to say if he bumped into them.
He finished: “Every athlete likes to be seen and our job as the team behind the team is that we do see the work that goes into it and we appreciate it and give them the best chance to do their best on the day.”
