Queen Camilla appeared to fail to recognise Ruth Jones immediately during their encounter at the historic Cyfarthfa Castle near Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales, on Friday
Queen Camilla experienced an awkward moment with Ruth Jones today during a visit to South Wales for King Charles’s birthday.
The Queen accompanied the King, who turned 77 on Friday, to an afternoon of celebrations at the historic Cyfarthfa Castle near Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales. There, the royal couple were welcomed by a host of well-known Welsh figures, including reality TV personality Liam Reardon, fashion designer Julien Macdonald, and Gavin and Stacey writer and star Ruth Jones.
Despite being adored by millions as the straight-talking Nessa Jenkins on screen, it seemed Camilla didn’t immediately recognise Ruth Jones, 59, when they met. After quickly realising who she was, the Queen — who had met the actress before — exclaimed: “Haven’t you lost masses of weight?” as Ms Jones clasped her hand and introduced herself in the reception line.
Laughing, Ms Jones looked both surprised and pleased, replying: “Yes, I have, thank you! I’ve lost a bit of weight.” The star has been open about her lifelong struggle with her weight and has recently showcased her transformation after losing 4.5 stone over 22 months. The writer and actress has even spoken about seeking help from a hypnotist to curb her biggest weakness — chocolate.
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Ms Jones told the Table Manners podcast last year she initially approached hypnotherapy with scepticism.
“You think of something you hate eating, then think of the chocolate — and keep alternating. I remembered how mushy peas were on the school dinner menu. It completely worked. I didn’t eat chocolate for five years; I couldn’t even stand the smell of it,” the actress, who was born in Bridgend, south Wales, said.
She went on to admit that she eventually believed she was “sorted” and unsubscribed from the hypnotist’s email list — after which her aversion to chocolate gradually faded.
Ms Jones has also spoken previously about losing 4.5 stone in 2011, a process that took her 22 months after overindulging on a holiday. Reflecting on that turning point, she said: “I came back from holiday in January 2010 — and we all overdo it on holiday, don’t we? Something just clicked. I felt it was now or never; I wanted to make a positive change for me, and I haven’t looked back.”
Rather than following fad diets or adopting extreme restrictions, Ms Jones said she focused on managing her portion sizes and monitoring her calorie intake. She told The Express in 2019: “It’s taken me 22 months to lose four and a half stone. Although I have done loads of diets in my time I have never done it the old-fashioned way – taking in less calories than I was using.”
