Alex Jones made a triumphant return to The One Show on Monday evening, following her maternity leave with baby son Kit. And while fans adored seeing the star back on TV, her co-star Matt Baker was noticeably absent, with Patrick Kielty filling in his place. The former Blue Peter presenter was unable to join Alex on her first day back at work due to his commitments in Goldilocks and the Three Bears, which he is currently starring in at The London Palladium. However, the dad-of-two sent a sweet apology to Alex on social media ahead of the show, writing: "Sorry I won't be along your side for your first ONE back Al." Matt also made reference to Alex's Instagram post, which saw her open up about working mum guilt. "We do what we do for our children. Working parents, enjoy!" he added.
Matt Baker apologised as he missed Alex Jones' first day back on The One Show
While Matt and Alex weren't working together on Monday night, the pair enjoyed a fun-filled night out together over the weekend. Alex and her husband Charlie Thomson, along with The One Show's Angelica Bell, all went to watch Matt perform on stage, and Alex shared several photos from their evening out together on social media. After watching their co-star on stage, Alex and Angelica went backstage to see him. The Welsh native posted a picture of the trio on Instagram, which saw her and Angelica try on hats from the costume department.
MORE: Alex Jones shares bittersweet photo of sons as her maternity leave comes to an end
Alex reunited with Matt and co-star Angelica Bell over the weekend
It's set to be a bittersweet few months for Alex and her co-host Matt as they will be preparing to go their separate ways in March. Matt, 42, recently announced that he would be leaving The One Show in March. In December, the dad-of-two explained that one of the main reasons behind his resignation was to spend more time with his family, saying: "At this time of year, I like to take stock and reflect. The One Show has been a massive part of my life for almost a decade now and I have loved every second of being a part of it. But I am going to be leaving this green sofa in the spring."
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He continued: "Of course I'd like to thank Alex, who I've shared this sofa with for all these years. And the teams of people who work on this show all around the UK, the ones who you do not get to see; the researchers, the producers, the studio crew, everyone that makes this show feel like a massive family. And I'm going to miss you all very much indeed. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart."
