Nick Jonas and Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker are the latest stars set to read for CBeebies Bedtime Stories.
The Jonas Brothers musician, 33, will read The Ballad Of Cactus Joe by Lily Murray, inspired by his four-year-old daughter Malti Marie.
The book delivers a heartwarming message about adapting to change and embracing new experiences.
Nick said: ‘We are raising our daughter to embrace all of the culture that is around her, both from India and from the US.
‘It’s really exciting for us as parents to think about the things that we love about our cultures, whether its clothing, food or certain traditions that are important to us.
‘Giving her the opportunity to learn about it through books, programmes and spending time with family, where she can really engage and understand where she comes from and her family’s history, has been a really special thing for us as parents.’
Nick Jonas, 33, (pictured) and Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker 62, are the latest stars set to read for CBeebies Bedtime Stories
Jarvis, who performed as part of BBC Radio 2’s on Vernon Kay’s mid-week morning show this week, will read Wally The World’s Greatest Piano-playing Wombat
Jarvis, who performed as part of BBC Radio 2’s on Vernon Kay’s mid-week morning show this week, will read Wally The World’s Greatest Piano-playing Wombat.
He said: ‘Reading stories to my son when he was young was one of the great pleasures in my life. He’s 22 now: a bit old for bedtime stories, so thank you CBeebies for inviting me to experience this pleasure once again.’
Jarvis’ episode airs on CBeebies on Friday 6 at 6.50pm, followed by Nick’s episode on Saturday 7 at the same time.
The popular format has seen many celebrities read for children, including Snow White star Rachel Zegler, 24.
Other big names who have also read CBeebies Bedtime Stories include Harry Styles, 32, Tom Hardy, 48, and music legend Dolly Parton, 80.
John Harkins, who said he has been executive editor of the show since 2019, said he is continually surprised by the caliber of celebrities who want to read a story.
He told GQ: ‘I got the opportunity to go to Nashville to film Dolly Parton and brief her in her dressing room, which was just incredible.
‘She requested to do it, and invited us over to Dollywood, [which was set up] with loads of teddy bears. She wanted to know how to read and was asking our advice.’
The Jonas Brothers musician will read The Ballad Of Cactus Joe by Lily Murray, inspired by his four-year-old daughter Malti Marie
The singer and wife Priyanka Chopra welcomed their child via surrogate in 2022, three months before her due date; pictured in June 2024
CBeebies Bedtime Story has been a staple of the channel since it launched back in 2002.
It comes after Nick got emotional while opening up about daughter Malti Marie’s premature birth.
The 33-year-old singer and wife Priyanka Chopra, 43, welcomed their child via surrogate in 2022, three months before her due date.
‘She came to the world under sort of very intense circumstances, which I’ve not really talked about ever,’ the musician told Jay Shetty on Wednesday’s episode of his On Purpose podcast.
He shared that the parents-to-be received a phone call explaining Malti was going to be born early, prompting them to rush to the hospital.
‘She came out [and] she was one pound, 11 ounces and purple, basically. These angels at the NICU kind of resuscitated her in that moment,’ Jonas tearfully recalled.
Following Malti’s birth, the parents had to take turns visiting her in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in rotating 12-hour shifts due to COVID-19 restrictions.
This went on for three and a half months.
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‘It was both comforting and frightening to be there every day and to see other families going through similar situations,’ Jonas explained of the ordeal.
He added about his daughter, the couple’s only child, ‘But she fought every day for three and a half months and slowly started to gain some weight.’
The Gut Punch artist also revealed that Malti underwent six blood transfusions during her NICU stay, after which he and his wife were able to take her home.
He also marveled about their daughter, ‘I feel like she knows… How she entered the world and what that first chapter of her life was like. And so every day is a gift and you can actually feel it on her in the way that she behaves and how exciting everything is.’
‘Spiritually, I believe that there’s gratitude in her,’ he explained.
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