Gethin Jones is back on our screens now that Morning Live has returned from its summer break. The Welsh presenter, who hosts the show alongside Helen Skelton and Michelle Ackerely, has amassed a dedicated legion of fans over his TV career, which began on S4C in the early 2000s.
When he's not on our TV screens, Gethin is fairly active on social media and keeps his followers up to date on his life away from Morning Live. His sister Mererid is often featured on his Instagram page – and Gethin is the spitting image of his glamorous elder sibling! Keep reading for all we know about their close relationship…
Gethin's close relationship with sister Mererid
Gethin and Mererid, who grew up in Cardiff and are one year apart, were clearly good friends from an early age. Sharing an insight into his childhood, the TV star recalled how he and his sister would bond over soaps, filling each other in on what they'd missed while Gethin learned violin and Mererid had her cello lesson.
"My sister, Mererid, who's a year older, played the cello. Each evening, we would take it in turns to watch Home And Away and Neighbours while the other one had their lesson," he told MailOnline in 2009. "Then, at the end of the week, we'd update each other on what had happened in both soaps."
The pair have remained close in adulthood, with Gethin sharing his admiration for Mererid, who works for the NHS, during the coronavirus pandemic back in 2021.
"My sister is my hero," he told Yours Magazine. "She works for the NHS at a hospital and if you try to imagine the worst possible scenario - well she has seen it daily for the last year.
"She is always there for people and also there for when people pass away. She does everything with such grace and hard work."
Gethin often shares snaps of his older sister on Instagram, prompting comments from fans about how similar they look. In the comments section of one of his posts, one person penned: "You are both so alike," while another said they were "the spit" of each other.
The sibling duo have more than their looks in common, however, as they're both into keeping fit. Back in June, Gethin shared some snaps of the pair having a laugh during their gym session. "Feel good sat sesh with the sis," he captioned the post. "70 strong in the 7am class. Same for the 8am. brilliant atmosphere @ion_cardiff."
Gethin's sweet bond with his nephews
While Gethin doesn't have any children of his own, he is incredibly close to his sister's sons, teenagers Alby and Lenny.
Recalling the moment his eldest nephew was born, Gethin previously told WalesOnline: "I didn't realise you could love someone as much as you did when you have nephews. My nephew Alby makes me laugh like no other person in the world. I'll always remember when he was born."
He went on to add: "From that moment on, he’s my little hero."
Alby, who has autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, inspired Gethin to set up his charity Nai, which aims to raise awareness and money for people and children with autism. The broadcaster founded the organisation with his best friend Sion Tudur, who also has a nephew with autism.
Back in 2017, Gethin opened up about his special relationship with his nephews. "My only sibling, my sister Mererid, who's 40 and a paediatric physiotherapist, has two children – Alby, aged ten, and Lenny, seven," he told MailOnline. "They're the most special people in my life. Alby is autistic which means he's different, that’s all, and my best friend Sion also has an autistic nephew, Twm. About two years ago we set up the charity Nai – the Welsh word for nephew – to help parents of autistic children.