The former Countdown star has opened up about her romantic relationships
Carol Vorderman has opened up on her relationships(Image: Mike Marsland, Mike Marsland/WireImagevia Getty Images)
With her captivating blend of intelligence and looks, Carol Vorderman rose to fame during her 26-year tenure on the Channel 4 quiz show Countdown. Since departing the programme, the 65 year old Cambridge engineering graduate has appeared as a panellist on Loose Women, taken on the challenges of the I’m A Celebrity jungle, and even competed on The Masked Singer.
She’s currently the face of fashion retailer JD Williams’ new campaign, aptly named Midlife Is Living Fearlessly.
Regarding her romantic life, Carol has consistently been open about discussing the often controversial subject of intimacy and has publicly spoken about maintaining “special friends”. In The Mirror’s exclusive interview, she reveals she’s not concerned with conforming to expectations and prefers living according to her own rules.
“I have no desire to settle down right now,” she explains. “Maybe when I’m 82 – with a 45-year-old!”.
Carol’s personal life away from the cameras has remained a source of intrigue for fans. Her decade-long marriage to businessman Patrick King ended in divorce in 2000, and together they share two children, Katie and Cameron.
Following this, she enjoyed a five-year romance with journalist Des Kelly. Today, Carol embraces an unconventional and refreshing approach to romance, viewing companionship as a choice rather than a necessity for happiness.
“There’s this idea that women need a man to travel, to live, to enjoy themselves,” she says. “You really, really don’t. That’s not anti-men – it’s pro-women. There’s a whole world out there and women are reaching for it.”
It’s not only Carol’s approach to relationships that has evolved as she’s moved through the decades. She’s grown in confidence and has got to really know herself – and doesn’t fear being alone. She smiles as she recalls what defined each chapter of her life – her twenties were about fun and freedom, her thirties were about building stability, and her forties and fifties ended up being about upheaval and reinvention. It was when she reached her sixties that everything finally clicked.
“You lose the fear. You genuinely think, ‘I don’t have to apologise any more.’ And that’s a wonderful place to be,” she says. Something she certainly isn’t afraid of is showing off her curves. She is often seen in figure-hugging outfits with cinched-in waistbands. But while cruel trolls have attacked her fashion choices, accusing her of dressing “too boldly” or “too young” for her age, she’s not listening to any of it.
“I dress for my body,” she says simply. “I’ve got a big bust so I like clothes that come in at the waist. Otherwise, it makes you look bigger than you are. That’s just practical. But if I want to wear a short knitted dress with boots and tights, I will – because I like it.”
Carol said she’s not ready to settle down(Image: Simon Ackerman, Getty Images)
Carol recalls the time she was labelled “mutton dressed as lamb” in her late thirties – a phrase that dominated headlines simply because she dared to wear a dress that was above the knee. “I was 39,” she says, still incredulous at the memory. “There were front pages about whether a woman of that age should wear a short dress. The BBC literally did a show about it. You think, ‘Who is even asking that question?'”
It’s those very moments that Carol believes shaped the way a generation of women felt about their bodies and ageing. The concept of “growing old gracefully” is patronising and absurd to Carol. “What does that even mean?” she asks. “Grey hair, elasticated waistbands and disappearing? Define it. Because for me, growing older means being more visible, more confident and more myself.”
Carol tells us that despite the many challenges that come with menopause, it eventually brought her clarity. She’s spoken openly about suffering severe hormonal depression during perimenopause, but says the period that followed was a huge turning point.
“When you come out the other side, it’s like a phoenix moment,” she explains. “You think, ‘No, no, I’m not putting up with that any more.’ You’ve been as low as you’re ever going to be, and from there, you rise.” For the first time in her life, Carol feels actively supported by younger generations of women. She says, “I’ve now got two or three generations beneath me who support what I want to do. When I was younger and pushing boundaries, you were torn down for it. Now, younger women champion older women living boldly and that’s huge.”
Alongside navigating life under the spotlight, Carol prioritises time with her kids – and she says the way people look at parent-child relationships has changed since her children were little. She explains that it’s now normal for adult daughters to holiday with their mothers, to socialise together and to see each other as equals.
“That never happened before,” she says. “It’s part of the liberation of women.” Carol will be back as a team captain on Channel 5 quiz show Celebrity Puzzling this year, but she clearly knows the importance of balancing the good things in life with her career.
“I used to be addicted to work, but now my social life is non-negotiable,” she admits. “I literally colour-code it in my calendar. I need at least three proper social plans a week – not just a coffee. Time with people matters.” But there are some projects that are too good to miss and her fashion campaign with inclusive brand JD Williams was one of them. It aims to redefine what the word “MILF” means to women today.
It launches this month and Carol appears to be the ideal match for the campaign. She explains, “It’s a message I’ve been trying to put across all my life. Pay as little attention as possible to what society says about you. This is about owning who you are – at any age.”