At 57, Ruth Jones Announces Her Intention to Retrain as a Registrar

She’s an accomplished actress, screenwriter and novelist, but it seems a complete career change could be on the horizon.

Ruth Jones has said she wants to retrain as a wedding registrar at the age of 57 as she’d like to make ceremonies ‘more enjoyable’ for people tying the knot.

Following in the footsteps of Jools Oliver, who is training to become a midwife, and Kate Silverton who left broadcast journalism to become a child therapist, Ms Jones, who shot to fame as gobby Nessa in BB hit Gavin & Stacey, is keen to branch out into a new industry.

‘At one point, I was going to be a solicitor, but now I’d like to be a registrar, and I’ve been thinking a lot about actually doing it,’ she told Good Housekeeping magazine.

‘I love weddings, but I’ve been to so many where the registrar has talked in a monotone voice throughout and hasn’t looked up once – and it’s such a shame because it’s someone’s big day.

Ruth Jones has said she wants to retrain as a wedding registrar at the age of 57 as she’d like to make ceremonies ‘more enjoyable’ for people tying the knot

Ms Jones, who shot to fame as gobby Nessa in BB hit Gavin & Stacey, is keen to branch out into a new industry

‘I’d love to be able to make those experiences more enjoyable for people.’

But Ms Jones might not have much time for her training as she’s starring in West End show Sister Act while writing her fourth novel. 

She has played down, however, rumours of writing a special episode of Gavin & Stacey, branding it ‘all nonsense’.

‘I’d love to star in another comedy drama. I want to write a film and I want to keep writing novels – I’ve just finished the first draft of my fourth book, which will probably come out next year,’ she said.

‘I want to learn to play the piano, too.’

The Welsh star, who stars as the Mother Superior at London’s Dominion Theatre, said she never thought she’d do theatre again after appearing in William Gaminara’s The Nightingales in 2018 left her ‘stressed out’ by nerves.

‘I honestly never thought I’d be starring in a West End musical,’ she said.

‘The last time I did a play was in 2018, and I got so stressed out by the nerves of going on stage that I thought, ‘I can never do theatre again.’

But Ms Jones might not have much time for her training as she’s starring in West End show Sister Act while writing her fourth novel

Read the full interview in Good Housekeeping’s May issue, on sale from the 28th March

‘Fortunately, the producers were really kind and gentle – and they ended up talking me into it. 

‘It’s been a really good lesson in not putting limits on myself and not letting fear hold me back.’

Mrs Oliver, the wife of celebrity chef Jamie, recently revealed that she was midway through her training to become a midwife at the age of 49.

‘Everyone said, ‘There’s still time, this is the time you do it’. It’s been two years now, it should have been done in a year, this is very me,’ she said.

Read the full interview in Good Housekeeping’s May issue, on sale from the 28th March. 

Ruth Jones stars in Sister Act: The Musical at London’s Dominion Theatre until 8 June; sisteractthemusical.co.uk