Jules Hudson is a beloved TV personality, best known for brightening up screens on shows including Escape to the Country, Countryfile, Winter on the Farm and Springtime on the Farm.
Enjoying three decades in television, Jules, 56, first started out in archaeology before later joining the military at Sandhurst, eventually switching careers and entering the world of entertainment.
Growing up in a B&B run by his parents, Jules rubbed shoulders with a wide range of people from all over the world – something that instilled in him a deep curiosity to explore the people and places beyond the horizon.
Reflecting on his life and career, Jules has documented his adventures in his memoir, Wild at Heart – My Journey to a Country Life. Now, he lives in the Herefordshire countryside with his wife of ten years, Tania Fitzgerald, and their "cheeky chappy" 11-year-old son, Jack.
Here, he speaks exclusively to Best Quality Designer Handbag about family life, his favourite UK escapes and the defining moment that shaped his career.
Jules's candid admission about son Jack
While Jules is a doting father to his son – whom he describes as "a chip off the old block" – parenthood wasn't always on the cards.
"I'll be honest with you, I never had any ambitions to be a parent when I was younger," he said. "But [Jack] has absolutely gifted our life with a purpose and a richness which we could never have expected."
While Jules took about a decade to figure out what he wanted to do after leaving education, he's keen that Jack is encouraged to follow his own passions.
"Jack is quite dyslexic, but the flip side to that is that he's also very creative, and his ambition is to be a landscape gardener," he explained. "He endlessly watches these guys on YouTube who are building cabins in the back of beyond, off-grid."
Juggling parenting with a TV career that requires frequent travel across the UK can be challenging at times.
"I remember years ago, when [Jack] was beginning to come to terms with the fact that I would often be away. He said, 'Are you taking a big bag or a small bag, Daddy?' I said, 'Oh, Jack, it's a big bag.' And he went, 'Okay, all right.' He knew Dad needed to go to work – he's very adaptable. He's at a school now where he can occasionally board, and that helps because we know where he is – he's safe and sound."
Wild at Heart – My Journey to a Country Life
Jules's latest memoir is his third book, following Walled Gardens and The Escape to the Country Handbook. While he was initially hesitant to reflect on his personal life, he relished the opportunity to celebrate the people he's encountered along the way.
© BBC/Naked West/Fremantle"It's not really a book about me. It's about the people I've had the chance to come across over the course of the journey. Because they've made it – they're the colour, they're the real stars."
He added: "It's very much a kind of memoir for my 11-year-old, quite cheeky son. Maybe one day he'll read it and think, 'Oh right, okay.'"
Career-defining moment
Writing his life story also prompted Jules to reflect on the moments that shaped his path, including his decision to leave the army.
"I fell out of love with the army during my first time at Sandhurst, and I didn't know what to expect. There was a moment when I was leaving, driving out of the gates thinking, 'God, am I going to find a gaping hole in my life when I finally get out of here? Because now what? There's no plan.'"
© BBC/Naked West/FremantleHowever, the uncertainty ultimately worked in his favour. "I found it really exhilarating because there was no plan, and I think it primed me to get into TV because it was something I had no preconceptions about.
"I might have called this book unplanned, because that's the truth of it – none of it's really been planned, but with a bit of wit, grit and determination, it's a chance to just try and do the best you can be. With television, I found a place that was very creative, and I don't think I quite appreciated when I left school that I was a creative guy."
Where does Jules Escape to?
So, after his many years exploring all the nooks and crannies of the UK, where is it that Jules himself loves to escape to?
"I've always had a huge soft spot for Wales – I spent half my life living in the Cambrian Mountains – and I have a real particular soft spot for Anglesey. The beaches, the drama of Snowdonia. But the Welsh coast in general, right down to Pembrokeshire through the whole Cardigan Bay stretch, is super."
© BBC/Naked West/FremantleJules's other honourable mentions also include the Dorset coast – "if you want quintessential thatched cottages and beautiful villages" – and the Lake District.
People often assume that the countryside is reluctant to change, but that's something Jules heavily disputes.
"For me, country life is incredibly accepting of anybody who wants to be there. You can go and live in a village and be a total hermit, or you can go and get involved in everything. I've always found it to be a very welcoming and a very visible community.
"It's hugely important to everything that we do here and with the world as it is, we need to look after our countryside and ensure that it can help provide for us all. It's a precious resource that is a privilege to live in."
Jules Hudson: Wild At Heart (Mirror Books, £22) is on sale now.
