Charlie Jones

I'm a journalist and writer with 20 years of experience, currently working for the BBC website.

About Me

I have been a journalist for 20 years, the last 15 of which have been at the BBC. The Guardian Media Group sponsored me to study for a masters in print journalism at City University and after graduating I worked as a multimedia journalist at The Press Association (PA) in London and Manchester. After leaving PA to join the BBC, I worked for Newsround, BBC Breakfast and the Six and Ten O'Clock News before I started my current role as a senior journalist and team manager for the BBC website. I write online news and feature articles and also work as a news editor, sub editor and line manager. I was also a lecturer in journalism at the University of Essex until recently.

I live on the Essex/Suffolk border with my husband, two young children, a dog and chickens. I enjoy wild swimming, paddleboarding and singing in a community choir. I have run the London marathon twice, most recently in 2021. In 2023 and in 2024 I volunteered as a tailwalker, supporting the back of the pack. I work part-time as a support worker for people with Down's syndrome through the charity Project 21.

Features

Explore a selection of my writing work below.

BBC News •

'We risked everything selling our home to travel'

A couple who "risked it all" by quitting their jobs and selling their home to travel the world with their three children said the adventure had saved them as a family. Chris and Tamira Hutchinson were "living from pay cheque to pay cheque" and barely spent any time together at home in Corby, Northamptonshire.They sold their three-bedroom house almost two years ago and drove straight to the airport to start their new life with their three daughters, Olivia, 10, Scarlett, eight, and Bella, four."As...
BBC News •

'I knew if I died I'd have a million regrets'

Georgie Swallow spent her teenage years feeling insecure about her appearance.Growing up in Iver, Buckinghamshire, she says she wasted so much time trying to lose weight.At the age of 26 she was diagnosed with cancer, which went away but then came back.Now aged 32, her perspective on life has changed and she is sharing her adventures on social media.Here, in her own words, she explains why she wants people to say 'yes' to life.

Georgie Swallow spent her teenage years feeling insecure about her...
BBC News •

Trichotillomania: 'I couldn't stop pulling out my eyelashes'

Four years ago, Isobel Perl was living with friends in London and thriving. She was working for a big accountancy firm and had a busy social life. Then the pandemic hit and she lost her job. Aged 25, she had to move back in with her parents in Watford.She decided to start a skincare brand, despite knowing nothing about the industry. It was a big success until one wrong business decision, which triggered her trichotillomania.
BBC News •

'Losing my legs changed my life for the better'

I think to myself, "you're not taking this away from me too". I channel that anger into making me run faster. He only served 13 months in prison and has never shown any real remorse, but I try not to think about him apart from that. It's a waste of energy and I try my best to stay positive.

Before the marathon, I decided to climb Snowdon and I scrambled up using my hands. When I got to the top, I had a cry and let all the emotion out. When I got to the bottom,
BBC News •

'I was mutilated at 16 but I won't let it define me'

I felt betrayed by my grandmother. She was the only person I loved and she had let this happen to me. I was made to lay down on the floor for a couple of hours for my bleeding to stop. I would have taken my own life if I had been left alone. After two days of being in that house, my grandmother took me to where she lived and I stayed there for some time, experiencing infections and multiple health concerns because of the cutting.

At the end of the
BBC News •

'Finding out I was autistic saved my life'

When I was 13, I had my first panic attack on a school trip. This was the start of panic consuming me. I had been anxious for a while, but until this point, I had done a good job of hiding it. I had tried so hard to fit in, pretending to be like everyone else, but my brain couldn't do it anymore. Almost overnight I changed from a child who teachers loved having in the classroom, to a child teachers had to battle with just to sit in class.
BBC News •

'I was a gambling addict who stole £1.3m and went to prison'

'I spent my way through all the money we had'

I was chasing losses which you know you shouldn't do. But when you're in that moment, you do it anyway. That was around 2007. My family then became aware of the problem. My partner and I were buying our first home but I had gambled away the deposit. My parents helped me and I promised never to gamble again. I went seven years from then without having a bet, not even buying a lottery ticket.

By now I was betting on anything that I could, from the nu
BBC News •

Vogue model Ellie Goldstein: 'Doctors said I wouldn't walk or talk'

Ellie recently bought her own home with the proceeds from her modelling but we don't know if she will ever be able to live alone. We are living alongside her for now, though we have kept our family home, and we are trying to encourage her to be more independent but she is still very vulnerable.

When I did the Vogue shoot, I didn't know if my photo was going to be on the cover. My favourite teachers were there when I found out, I was at college, and I was crying and screaming. My friends said "w
BBC News •

Heartstopper's Bel Priestley: 'I want to be a role model for other trans people'

'I have been bullied my whole life'

'I couldn't find anyone similar to me online'

'I want to play roles that get people talking'

Filming Heartstopper was one of the best experiences of my life. I feel so beyond lucky. I would like to have surgery one day to complete my transition, but I'm not in a rush. It is a huge operation and I am lucky in that I don't feel incredibly dysphoric - I can accept and live with my body as it is for now. For a lot of people, the surgery is the starting point fo
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