Ruth at the BAFTAs
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Secret ‘sadness’ behind Gavin and Stacey star Ruth Jones’ TV BAFTA win

'She attempted to mask her emotions'

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A body language expert has ‘revealed’ the secret sadness behind Ruth Jones‘ emotional speech at the BAFTA TV Awards.

The beloved actress, 58, bagged the award for Best Female Performance in a Comedy on Sunday night (May 11) for her role as Nessa Jenkins in the Gavin and Stacey finale.

Accepting the award, Ruth fought back the tears as she thanked her loved ones, while giving a special shout out to co-creator and pal James Corden, 46.

Now, a body language expert has claimed that Ruth’s appearance was “one of sadness rather than genuine joy” – and the expert has ‘revealed’ the reason why.

Ruth at the BAFTAs
Ruth bagged a BAFTA last night (Credit: BBC)

Ruth Jones wins TV BAFTA

On Sunday evening (May 11), the annual BAFTA TV Awards – hosted by Alan Cummings – took place, to celebrate the best of British telly over the past 12 months.

Welsh legend Ruth ended up winning the award for Best Female Performance in a Comedy.

During her acceptance speech, Ruth hilariously started off in character as Nessa, before thanking the “wonderful” Gavin and Stacey cast.

Near the end of the emotional speech, Ruth also added: “The person I would like to thank most is my dear, dear, talented, lovely, kind funny friend, James Corden, with whom I have shared this astonishing journey for the past 17 years and without whom Vanessa Shanessa Jenkins would simply not exist.

“I love you James, I love writing with you, long may it continue,” she added. The camera then showed James in the audience who was wiping away the tears from his face.

And now, a body language expert has shared their thoughts on Ruth’s speech..

James Corden at BAFTAs
James was emotional (Credit: BBC)

Ruth’s secret sadness at BAFTAs ‘revealed’

Speaking on behalf of Betfair Slots, Darren Stanton pointed out that Ruth’s emotional speech had a secret sadness to it.

He said that Ruth seemed to be “less surprised” to win, than other actors who won awards on the night.

“However, it was abundantly clear in her speech just how much the show meant to her and how appreciative she is of its success. She’s clearly still grateful for being able to receive awards for it all so many years later,” the expert said.

‘She attempted to mask her emotions’

Nonetheless, Darren added: “During the speech, I noticed some emotions of sadness from Ruth.

“There was more sadness there than you would see with most award winners. Her movements were slower, and her head was often lowered. You could also hear her voice crack at a few points in the speech, which is a key sign someone has had a dramatic shift in emotion. It was clear it was a shift towards sadness as her eyebrows came together and were pulled down.”

Darren then noted that Ruth’s secret sadness could be down to Gavin and Stacey finally being over.

The iconic BBC show aired its final episode on Christmas Day last year, 18 years since its first episode aired.

“She attempted to mask her emotions with humour and a smile, but as her face and eyes didn’t appear engaged, the smile was one of sadness rather than genuine joy,” he said.

Darren continued: “It’s apparent she still feels emotional about the show coming to an end, and the award was a reminder that the amazing chapter of her life is now over, which is most likely what caused those signs of emotion.”

Another star who was upset after the BAFTAs was Stacey Solomon. She launched into a very out-of-character rant after her show Sort Your Life Out lost out on taking home a gong.

Read more: Strictly’s BAFTA win branded an ‘absolutely shambles’ as viewers furious

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Joey Crutchley
Freelance Writer