Gavin and Stacey stars James Corden and Ruth Jones' wildly different lives from Hollywood to Tesco

As Nessa returns in the final ever episode of Gavin and Stacey, the Mirror takes a look at actress and writer Ruth Jones' life behind the scenes - and it couldn't be any more different to that of her long-time collaborator, James Corden

Hit sitcom Gavin & Stacey, which is returning for one last Christmas hurrah, remains one of the most beloved shows of recent times - and it sparked the meteoric rise of James Corden.

The 46-year-old, who plays Gavin's best pal Smithy, has carved out a name for himself in Hollywood in the years since the original run, enjoying particular success as the host of The Late Late Show with James Corden. London-born James, who recently returned to the UK from LA, lives a glittering life of awards shows and Hollywood hobnobbing and now counts the likes of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Beckhams within his social circle.

As for Ruth Jones, James' Gavin & Stacey co-creator and onscreen on-off love interest Nessa, her life has taken her on a slightly different track. James and Ruth became pals while filming Kay Mellor's iconic TV series Fat Friends, when James shared an idea he'd had for "a wedding that takes place between a guy from Essex and a girl from Barry Island."

Glamorgan-born Ruth, 58, recalled: "I thought it sounded brilliant, and we'd sit in the hotel bar where we were staying and look around because there was always a function going on, and we'd pick out characters that might be at this wedding and improvise what they might say."

The rest, of course, is television history. The first episode of Gavin & Stacey aired on BBC Three in 2007, bringing viewers some of the most memorable sitcom characters of all time. Frequently hilarious and occasionally extraordinarily emotional, the BAFTA award-winning comedy was named the 17th-greatest British sitcom in a 2019 Radio Times poll, ranking ahead of the likes of The Good Life and Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?

With their names firmly carved into television history, Ruth and James' lives then diverged significantly. But what has Ruth been up to away from Barry Island?

Marriage and affair admission

Ruth is happily married to TV and radio producer David Peet, who she first met while working on a BBC comedy pilot together back in the late '90s. At the time, David was still married to his first wife, with three teenage children, and Ruth has admitted there was an 'overlap'.

While promoting her 2018 novel Never Greener, which focuses on an actress who has an affair, Ruth told the Daily Mail: "The truth is, my husband was married when I met him. So in that sense, there was an overlap." Acknowledging the way art appeared to imitate life in her book, Ruth proceeded to insist: "Nobody in the book is based on anybody in my life.

"Of course, you have to ask. But my imagination is quite ferocious in that I can imagine the worst possible scenarios. Affairs cause a lot of pain, they're not something one aspires to do. You don't aspire to cause pain to people in their life."

Interestingly, there also appear to be parallels with the characters of Gavin and Stacey, who famously fall in love while chatting over the phone at work. In a 2018 interview with The Scotsman, Ruth revealed: "It was love at first voice because I spoke to him on the phone before I met him. I did fall in love with his voice. But I have had to imagine a lot of the intensity and the destructiveness."

David ended up leaving his wife for Ruth, and the pair appear to still be happy to this day. In an interview with The Independent, Ruth named David as the person who makes her laugh more than any other - a real compliment from somebody who has worked with some of the greatest comedy minds in the business. Ruth revealed: "Soppy, but true. He has a very sharp mind combined with a dry Yorkshire wit, making him a naturally funny man."

Ruth has also stepped up when it comes to being a supportive stepmother to David's adult children. When considering any lingering regrets over not having children of her own, Ruth reflected: "It just didn't happen. It wasn't a decision. I don't have a burning desire to have babies. I think it's heartbreaking if you do and you find out you can't have them. I love being a stepmum - all the joy of motherhood without the pain of childbirth."

Peaceful life in Cardiff village

Ruth, who grew up in the pretty seaside town of Porthcawl, still lives in Wales, having made a home for herself in the hamlet of Pen-y-lan. Located close to Cardiff, Pen-y-lan is a sought-after suburb with plenty of attractive tree-lined streets and beautiful areas of greenery.

The Daily Express reported back in 2022 that Ruth lives in a mock Tudor house bought by husband David Peet, for £325,000 in 2001 - a far cry from James' £8 million LA mansion. In a 2008 profile piece in The Independent, Ruth said: "The kitchen is the best bit – it's the heart of the home and is bright and spacious."

As previously reported by the Mail Online, although Ruth prefers to stick around the Cardiff area, where she likes going for jogs and doing the Tesco shop.

Career change

In March 2024, Ruth admitted that she was looking into taking a completely different career direction, and was considering becoming a registrar.

Ruth told Good Housekeeping: "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. 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. I’d love to be able to make those experiences more enjoyable for people."

As well as acting, multi-talented Ruth has also turned her talent for writing into a side career as a novelist. She's already penned three novels, Never Greener, Us Three, and Love Untold, and is understood to be working on a fourth.

Opening up about combining her dual loves of acting and writing in a 2022 interview with The Independent, Ruth said: "I think I enjoy them all the same. I’m very fortunate to do all of them, and I get a variety of work, which is a great privilege.

"Writing is more solitary, for the most part, but you also don’t have to worry about getting up and going to sit in the make-up chair at six in the morning. You can write in your pyjamas, and you can be quite anti-social."

Wrapping up Gavin & Stacey

After filming finished on the festive finale back in September, Ruth addressed loyal fans who'd gathered to catch a glimpse of the final goings on in Barry.

Thanking fans for being "so patient", Ruth said: "You haven’t seen anything because we’ve been indoors, which shows you're truly committed fans of the show, and we hope that you won’t be disappointed on Christmas Day when all will be revealed.

"This is our farewell now to Barry and to Trinity Street, so you won’t be seeing us here anymore, but we’ve had a wonderful 17 years."

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