BBC star given ‘warning’ after breaching guidelines for secretly promoting products

BBC presenter Gethin Jones has reportedly been given a ‘slap on the wrist’ after wearing watches of a brand he is a paid ambassador for.

The 48-year-old, who presents Morning Live alongside Helen Skelton, is the face of men’s jewellery for the Welsh brand Clogau.

It has now been reported that the Cardiff-born rugby legend has breached the broadcasting rules on promotion when he wore the brand’s watches several times in the last eight months.

These are said to have included a £550 model seen over 30 times on the programme, most recently on Wednesday, and another £420 watch.

But the BBC has strict editorial guidelines, which state that presenters ‘must not appear on-air wearing clothing or using products or services which they have been contracted to promote’.

A source described it as ‘completely unacceptable’ to the Daily Mail, adding: ‘Stars are blatantly flouting the rules. Clearly, there is not adequate monitoring.

‘Gethin has worn these pieces for months now, unnoticed by producers and line managers.’

A BBC Studios spokesperson told Metro: ‘We have clear guidelines around presenters’ commercial activities while working with the BBC, and Gethin has been reminded of these guidelines.’

Jones has been the face of Clogau for some years and has both opened a store for the brand in Bristol and appeared in their 2025 Christmas advert. 

The BBC is also understood to have recently reprimanded Shirley Ballas for breaching the strict guidelines on presenters and promotional work. 

The Strictly Come Dancing judge made a paid appearance on a show-themed cruise trip, where she was said to have been paid over £10,000 to host the seven-day voyage from Southampton to Norway.

During the Virtuosa trip, which is run by MSC Cruises, elements of the Strictly live shows are said to have been so faithfully recreated that passengers felt they could have been watching an instalment of the BBC show.

The cruise, which priced packages from £599 per person, reportedly advertised that Ballas would be ‘bringing Strictly glamour’ to the luxury liner, which set off on the high seas earlier this month.

However, the BBC’s editorial guidelines state that promotional work involving licence fee-funded talent must not ‘imitate, suggest a reference or connection to or pass off BBC content’.

Metro contacted Gethin Jones’s representative for comment on this story.