Ruth Jones facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ruth Jones MBE
Jones in 2008
Born	Ruth Alexandra Elisabeth Jones (1966-09-22) 22 September 1966 (age 58) Bridgend, Glamorgan, Wales
Alma mater	Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
Occupation	Actress comedian writer producer
Years active	1991–present
Spouse(s)	David Peet ​ ​ (m. 1999; sep 2024)​

Ruth Alexandra Elisabeth Jones (born 22 September 1966) is a talented Welsh actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She is well-known for creating and starring in the popular BBC comedy show Gavin & Stacey. She also won a BAFTA Award for her role in this show in 2025. Ruth Jones also wrote and starred in the Sky One comedy-drama Stella. For Stella, she was nominated for another BAFTA Award.

Ruth Jones has appeared in many other TV series. These include Fat Friends, Little Britain, and Nighty Night. In 2014, she was given an award called the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This award recognized her great contributions to entertainment.

Ruth Jones's Early Life and Education

Ruth Jones was born on 22 September 1966 in Bridgend, Wales. Her father worked for a steel company, and her mother was a doctor. She grew up with two older brothers and a younger sister in Porthcawl. Ruth went to Porthcawl Comprehensive School. While there, she performed in school musicals with actor Rob Brydon. She loved being part of these shows every year. After studying Theatre Arts at the University of Warwick, she trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff.

Ruth Jones's Career Highlights

Ruth Jones has had a busy career in acting and writing. She has worked in theatre, television, and even written books.

Starting Out in Theatre

In 1989, Ruth Jones got her first professional acting job. She played Countess Almaviva in a play called The Marriage of Figaro. This play toured around the UK for six months. After this, she did temporary office work.

She even thought about becoming a lawyer instead of an actress. But in 1990, comedian Stan Stennett offered her a job. She helped with scenery and played a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle in a pantomime. This was at the same theatre where she had performed in school.

After a 12-year break from the stage, Ruth returned in 2018. She starred in a new play called Nightingale at the Theatre Royal, Bath. In summer 2024, she played Mother Superior in the musical Sister Act in London's West End.

Ruth Jones on Television

Ruth Jones's first TV job was a comedy sketch show for BBC Wales. It featured Rob Brydon and Steve Speirs. Soon after, she joined an improv group in Bath. This group included Julia Davis, who she later worked with on Nighty Night and Gavin & Stacey.

She started working in TV and radio comedy for BBC Wales in 1991. She also performed with famous theatre companies like the RSC. In 1999, she appeared in the British film East Is East. In 1996, she was in a BBC drama called Drover's Gold. She loved visiting places in Wales for this show.

Ruth Jones became well-known for playing Kelly in the ITV comedy Fat Friends. There, she met James Corden. Later, she appeared in BBC comedies like Little Britain as Myfanwy. She also played Magz in Saxondale and Linda in Nighty Night.

Her big breakthrough came in 2007 with Gavin & Stacey. She co-wrote the show with James Corden and played the character Nessa Jenkins. The show became very popular and moved to BBC One. Ruth said they just wrote what they wanted, and it turned out to be a very warm and funny show.

Gavin & Stacey won many awards, including BAFTAs and British Comedy Awards. In 2009, Ruth and Rob Brydon recorded a song called "Islands in the Stream" for Comic Relief. It reached number one on the music charts.

In 2008, Ruth Jones appeared in two BBC period dramas: Tess of the d'Urbervilles and Little Dorrit. She also appeared in The Street. In 2009, she starred in A Child's Christmas in Wales. In 2010, she was in The Great Outdoors. She also hosted chat shows called Ruth Jones' Christmas Cracker. In 2011, she played Hattie Jacques in the BBC Four drama Hattie.

In 2008, Ruth Jones started a company called Tidy Productions with David Peet. This company produced her radio show, Ruth Jones' Sunday Brunch. They also made comedy dramas for S4C and light entertainment shows for BBC Wales.

Tidy Productions also made 58 episodes of the comedy-drama Stella for Sky TV. The first series aired in 2012. Ruth created, produced, and wrote stories for the show with David Peet. She also starred as Stella. Ruth was worried about comparisons to Gavin & Stacey because Stella was also set in Wales. But they decided to set it in the Rhondda Valley because it's a "joyously colourful place." Stella ran for six series and two Christmas specials, ending in 2017.

In 2018, Ruth Jones played Mandy Haveez in the Radio Wales comedy series Splott. She also appeared in the film Nativity 4. In 2020, she took part in Iaith ar Daith ('Language Road Trip'), a show where celebrities learned Welsh.

Ruth Jones and James Corden teamed up again to write and star in the final episode of Gavin & Stacey. It aired on Christmas Day 2024, 17 years after the show first started.

Ruth Jones as a Writer

In April 2018, Ruth Jones published her first novel, Never Greener. It was based on a screenplay she wrote in 2004. The book is about a love affair that starts again and the risks of second chances. It quickly became a Sunday Times bestseller, reaching number one for two weeks.

Her second novel, Us Three, was published in September 2020. It tells the story of three friends whose lives change unexpectedly.

Her third novel, Love Untold, was published in 2022.

Ruth Jones's Personal Life

Ruth Jones married David Peet, a TV and radio producer, in 1999. She is a step-mother to his three children from a previous marriage. In June 2025, she announced that she and David had separated in 2024. They remain good friends. Ruth now lives in London, and David lives in Canada.

In 2010, Ruth Jones took part in Channel 4's Comedy Gala. This was a charity show to help Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital.

In January 2019, Ruth Jones was a guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. Her favorite song was "Smooth" by Santana and Rob Thomas. She chose a family Welsh Bible as her book and Halliwell's Film Guide as her other book. Her luxury item was the entire collection of The Archers radio show.

Awards and Recognition for Ruth Jones

Ruth Jones has received many awards for her work.

In 2007, she was named Best Female Comedy Newcomer at the British Comedy Awards. She was also nominated for Best Television Comedy Actress. In November 2009, she won the Ultimate Funny Woman award at the Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women of the Year Awards.

In July 2013, Ruth Jones received an honorary degree from the University of Warwick. In November 2022, she received another honorary degree from The Open University in Wales.

Ruth Jones was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2014. This was for her services to entertainment.

She received the BAFTA Cymru Sian Phillips Special Recognition Award in 2009. In 2012, she was nominated for a British Academy Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance for her role in Stella.

In 2025, Ruth Jones won the British Academy Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance. This was for her role as Nessa in Gavin & Stacey. In March 2025, the First Minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan, gave her the First Minister's Special Award. This was also for her role as Nessa.

Ruth Jones as Nessa at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2015

Ruth Jones's Filmography

Films

Television Shows

Guest Appearances

Ruth Jones's Writing Work

Screenplays

Books

Ruth Jones's Production Work

• Gavin & Stacey (Series 1, 6 episodes: BBC3 and BBC2 2007)
• Gavin & Stacey (Series 2, 7 episodes: BBC3 2008)
• Gavin & Stacey (Christmas Special: December 2008)
• Gavin & Stacey (Series 3, 6 episodes: BBC1 2009,2010)
• Ar Y Tracs Exec. Producer Tidy Productions S4C 2009)

Ruth Jones's Music

• Islands in the Stream (cover version for Comic Relief)