Alec Jones used to be "really embarrassed" every time he heard ‘Walking In The Air’ over the Christmas period.
The 47-year-old singer – who has Emilia, 16, and Lucas, 13, with his wife Claire Fossett – recorded the popular festive track for the 1982 animated film ‘The Snowman’ when he was just 12 years old, and has said that whilst he now doesn’t mind hearing the song when he’s out and about, it used to be something that made him "run out" of shops to avoid embarrassment.
He said: "’Walking In The Air’ is something I, of course, hear every Christmas. Everywhere, too. When I was around 18 I went through stages where I was really embarrassed if I heard it in a shop and, even if I was handing over my card to pay, I’d go bright red and run out. Now I just front it out and laugh about it.
"When my kids Emilia and Lucas were very young we were in Homebase and the tune came on and they both started pointing and shouting at me in jest. They learnt pretty quickly not to do that again."
And although the track is a big part of the British Christmas, Aled admits he didn’t realise how popular the song had become until it started appearing on compilation albums.
Speaking to Notebook magazine, he said: "I never realised what an impact it had when it was first released. In Wales it wasn’t played, there were no shops for it to be played in! Once we got into the 90s and it was put on all the Christmas compilation albums, it became part of everyone’s routine."
Meanwhile, Aled said in 2016 that he feels "very lucky" to have been a part of the song – which was written by Howard Blake – and the movie.
He said: "It could be a rubbish song and a rubbish cartoon but it’s actually a brilliant song and a brilliant cartoon, so I feel very, very lucky."
Aled Jones: I was embarrassed by my Christmas song
