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Carol Jean Vorderman, HonFIET (born 24 December 1960) is a Welsh media personality, best known for appearing on the game show ''
Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...
'' for 26 years from 1982 until 2008, as a newspaper columnist and nominal author of educational and diet books, and hosting the annual Pride of Britain awards. Vorderman's career began in 1982 when she joined
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
game show ''Countdown''. She appeared on the show with
Richard Whiteley John Richard Whiteley (28 December 1943 – 26 June 2005) was an English presenter, and journalist, best known for his twenty-three years as host of the game show ''Countdown''. ''Countdown'' was the launch programme for Channel 4 at 4:4 ...
from 1982 until his death in 2005, and subsequently with
Des Lynam Desmond Michael Lynam, (born 17 September 1942) is an Irish-born television and radio presenter. In a broadcasting career spanning more than forty years, he has hosted television coverage of many of the world's major sporting events, presentin ...
and
Des O'Connor Desmond Bernard O'Connor (12 January 1932 – 14 November 2020) was an English comedian, singer and television presenter. He was a long-time TV chat-show host, beginning with ''The Des O'Connor Show'' in 1963, which ran for ten years. He a ...
, before leaving in 2008. While appearing on ''Countdown'', Vorderman began presenting other shows for various broadcasters including ''
Better Homes ''Better Homes'' was a lifestyle game show that was broadcast on ITV from 4 January 1999 to 1 July 2003 and was presented by Carol Vorderman. Format Two houses were renovated for their owners. The one that increased in value after the televised ...
'' and '' The Pride of Britain Awards'' for
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
, as well as guest hosting shows such as '' Have I Got News for You'', ''
The Sunday Night Project ''The Sunday Night Project'' is a British comedy-variety show by Princess Productions that first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005 under the title ''The Friday Night Project''. Originally broadcast on Friday nights, the show moved to Sunday n ...
'' and ''
Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gr ...
''. She has written books on
detox diet Detoxification (often shortened to detox and sometimes called body cleansing) is a type of alternative-medicine treatment which aims to rid the body of unspecified "toxins" – substances that proponents claim accumulate in the body over ...
s. Vorderman was a presenter of ITV's '' Loose Women'' from 2011 until 2014.


Early life and education

Vorderman was born in
Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...
,
Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...
, the youngest of three children of
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
father, Anton Vorderman (1920–2007), and a
Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
mother, Edwina Jean Davies (1928–2017).'' Who Do You Think You Are?'', 27 September 2007. Her parents separated three weeks after her birth, and her mother took the family back to her home town of
Prestatyn Prestatyn is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. Historically a part of Flintshire, it is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. Prestatyn has a population of 19,085, History Prehistory There is evidence that ...
,
Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...
,
North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...
, where Vorderman and her siblings, Anton and Trixie, grew up in a one-parent household. Vorderman did not see her father again until she was 42. In 1970, her mother married Italian Armido Rizzi. The couple separated ten years later.''
Piers Morgan's Life Stories ''Kate Garraway's Life Stories'' (formerly known as ''Piers Morgan's Life Stories'' until 2021) is a British television chat show on ITV1, presented by Kate Garraway and was formerly presented by Piers Morgan. Recorded in front of a studio aud ...
'', 27 April 2012 Vorderman's father remarried; his wife died in the early 1990s. Vorderman was educated at
Blessed Edward Jones Catholic High School Christ the Word Catholic School is a Catholic co-educational voluntary aided secondary school situated on Cefndy Road, in Rhyl, Denbighshire. It opened in September 2019 and is an English-medium school. It replaced both a secondary school, Bles ...
in nearby
Rhyl Rhyl (; cy, Y Rhyl, ) is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. The town lies within the historic boundaries of Flintshire, on the north-east coast of Wales at the mouth of the River Clwyd ( Welsh: ''Afon Clwyd''). To the we ...
. In 1978, aged 17, she went to read engineering at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. She left with a third-class degree, a result which she has described as having been "disappointing". Vorderman did not trace the Dutch side of her family until 2007 (as part of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
genealogy programme '' Who Do You Think You Are?''). It was only then that she discovered that her father had been an active member of the Dutch resistance during the
Nazi occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 ...
. He died while the programme was being filmed. Her great-grandfather
Adolphe Vorderman Adolphe Guillaume Vorderman (12 December 1844 – 15 July 1902) was a Dutch physician and scientist whose study of the link between polished rice and beriberi in the Dutch East Indies in 1897 helped lead to the discovery of vitamins. In additi ...
played a key role in the discovery of
vitamins A vitamin is an organic molecule (or a set of molecules closely related chemically, i.e. vitamers) that is an essential micronutrient that an organism needs in small quantities for the proper functioning of its metabolism. Essential nutrien ...
.


Early career

Vorderman initially found employment as a junior civil engineer at Dinorwig Power Station in
Llanberis (; ) is a village, community and electoral ward in Gwynedd, northwest Wales, on the southern bank of the lake and at the foot of Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. It is a centre for outdoor activities in Snowdonia, including walking ...
, Wales, and later as a graduate management trainee in
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
. In her spare time, she was briefly a
backing singer A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...
with friend Lindsay Forrest in the Leeds-based pop group Dawn Chorus and the Blue Tits, fronted by radio DJ
Liz Kershaw Elizabeth Marguerita Mary Kershaw (born 30 July 1958) is an English radio broadcaster. She is the second longest serving female national radio DJ in the UK (after Annie Nightingale), celebrating 30 years on national BBC Radio in 2017. Career Af ...
during the early 1980s. The group recorded, among other songs, a version of
The Undertones The Undertones are a rock band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1974. From 1975 to 1983, the Undertones consisted of Feargal Sharkey (vocals), John O'Neill (rhythm guitar, vocals), Damian O'Neill (lead guitar, vocals), Michael Bradle ...
' hit ''
Teenage Kicks "Teenage Kicks" is the debut single by Northern Irish punk rock band the Undertones. Written in the summer of 1977 by the band's principal songwriter, the song was recorded on 15 June 1978 and initially released that September on independent Be ...
'' (one of the tracks Vorderman had to identify during the "intros round" when she appeared on ''
Never Mind the Buzzcocks ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' is a British comedy panel game show with a pop music theme. It has aired on Sky Max since September 2021, having originally aired between November 1996 and January 2015 on BBC Two. The original series was first hos ...
'' in December 2009 – the series often includes questions from contestants' pasts). During 1984–85 she made regular appearances on the Peter Levy show on
Radio Aire Radio Aire was an Independent Local Radio station, serving Leeds and West Yorkshire. The station was merged and relaunched as Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire, as part of a rebrand, on 1 September 2020. History Radio Aire was launched at 6am ...
, appearing mid-morning to read a story for pre-school children. In the mid-1980s, Vorderman worked part-time in the Information Services Department of the UK
Atomic Energy Authority The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority is a UK government research organisation responsible for the development of fusion energy. It is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy ...
, principally in the production of in-house video programmes.


Television career


''Countdown''


1982–2008

Vorderman's mother noticed a newspaper advertisement asking for "a woman with good mathematical skills" to appear as co-host on a quiz show for the fledgling fourth terrestrial channel. She submitted an application on behalf of her daughter, then aged 21. Vorderman appeared on ''Countdown'' from the show's inception in 1982 until 2008. Initially, Vorderman's only contribution to the show was the numbers game, and she formed part of a five-person presentation team, billed as one of the "vital statisticians" along with Linda Barrett. However, over the following years, the team was pared down, and Vorderman began handling tiles for both the letters and numbers games. Vorderman thus became a new type of game show hostess, revealing her intellectual ability by carrying out fast and accurate arithmetic calculations during the numbers game to reach an exact solution if neither contestant was able to do so. Her lasting success on the show led to her becoming one of the highest-paid women in Britain, ultimately earning her an estimated £1 million per year.


After Richard Whiteley

In June 2005, the producers of ''Countdown'' asked Vorderman if she wanted to fill the role of main presenter vacated by the recently deceased
Richard Whiteley John Richard Whiteley (28 December 1943 – 26 June 2005) was an English presenter, and journalist, best known for his twenty-three years as host of the game show ''Countdown''. ''Countdown'' was the launch programme for Channel 4 at 4:4 ...
. Vorderman declined, and a search for a new presenter began while the show went into a four-month hiatus. In October 2005,
Des Lynam Desmond Michael Lynam, (born 17 September 1942) is an Irish-born television and radio presenter. In a broadcasting career spanning more than forty years, he has hosted television coverage of many of the world's major sporting events, presentin ...
replaced Whiteley and co-hosted with Vorderman. In January 2007
Des O'Connor Desmond Bernard O'Connor (12 January 1932 – 14 November 2020) was an English comedian, singer and television presenter. He was a long-time TV chat-show host, beginning with ''The Des O'Connor Show'' in 1963, which ran for ten years. He a ...
replaced Lynam; Vorderman continued to co-host the show. On 25 July 2008, after 26 unbroken years with the show, it was announced that Vorderman was stepping down from ''Countdown''. She later said she had resigned after failing to agree terms with Channel 4 for a new contract, and it was reported that she had been asked to take a cut of 90% from her previous salary, estimated as £900,000. She had considered leaving the show when the show's original host Richard Whiteley died in 2005, but remained on the show when Lynam took over, and until 2008 when his eventual replacement O'Connor announced he was also to step down as the show's host. Vorderman and O'Connor both left the show in December 2008. Vorderman recorded her last ''Countdown'' show on 13 November 2008 which was broadcast on 12 December 2008. Both of her children were in the audience, together with many of the previous guests from "Dictionary Corner". After the prizegiving at the end of the show,
Des O'Connor Desmond Bernard O'Connor (12 January 1932 – 14 November 2020) was an English comedian, singer and television presenter. He was a long-time TV chat-show host, beginning with ''The Des O'Connor Show'' in 1963, which ran for ten years. He a ...
was presented with a bouquet of flowers by the show's
lexicographer Lexicography is the study of lexicons, and is divided into two separate academic disciplines. It is the art of compiling dictionaries. * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries. * Theoreti ...
Susie Dent, and Vorderman received one from
Gyles Brandreth Gyles Daubeney Brandreth (born 8 March 1948) is an English broadcaster, writer and former politician. He has worked as a television presenter, theatre producer, journalist, author and publisher. He was a presenter for TV-am's '' Good Morning ...
. She was too moved to complete her farewells. A special show, ''One Last Consonant, Please Carol'', hosted by Brandreth and featuring Vorderman's highs and lows during the 26 years of the show, was also filmed and transmitted just before her final ''Countdown'' appearance. After leaving ''Countdown,'' Vorderman continued to contribute her column to the British magazine ''Reveal''. Channel 4 admitted in 2009 that all Countdown presenters had always worn
earpiece In-ear monitors (IEMs) are devices used by musicians, audio engineers and audiophiles to listen to music or to hear a personal mix of vocals and stage instrumentation for live performance or recording studio mixing. They are also used by tele ...
s, and that producers would "sometimes supply extra ideas as there are often multiple options to ensure viewers are given the best possible answers." A source close to Vorderman denied that she had worn an earpiece or cheated in her mental arithmetic answers.


''Loose Women''

In July 2011, Vorderman and
Sally Lindsay Sally Jane Lindsay (born 8 July 1973) is an English actress and television presenter known for her roles as Shelley Unwin in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', Lisa Johnson in the Sky One comedy series '' Mount Pleasant'' an ...
were tipped for roles on '' Loose Women'' following ITV's decision to axe
Kate Thornton Kate Thornton (born 7 February 1973) is an English journalist and broadcaster, best known as the first presenter of ''The X Factor'' (2004–2006) and for presenting daytime shows including ''Loose Women'' (2009–2011) and '' This Morning'' (20 ...
and
Zoë Tyler Zoë Tyler (born 7 July 1970) is an English singer, actress, voice coach, West End performer, and reality television show judge. She is also a soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Early career Tyler was born in Birmingham and educat ...
from the programme. This was later confirmed, with Vorderman presenting her first live show on 5 September 2011. From September 2011 to June 2013, Vorderman and fellow ''Loose Women'' host Andrea McLean hosted two to three shows per week. However, after the show returned from its summer break in September 2013, she began to host one episode per week, with McLean anchoring the remaining four. On 3 October 2013, it was announced that former ''Loose Women'' presenter
Kaye Adams Kaye Adams (born 28 December 1962) is a United Kingdom, Scottish television presenter and journalist. She was an anchor on ITV (TV network), ITV topical discussion show ''Loose Women'' from 1999 to 2006 and again from 2013 and was a regular pa ...
would be returning to the show later in the year and
Ruth Langsford Ruth Wendy Holmes (née; Langsford; born 17 March 1960) is an English television presenter. She has presented various television shows, including '' This Morning'' (1999–present) in which she is the longest serving presenter, '' Gift Wrapped ...
would join the panel in January 2014. Adams, Langsford and Andrea McLean hosted the show in rotation, with Vorderman remaining as an occasional presenter on the programme, usually presenting one episode a fortnight. On 14 July 2014, Vorderman announced her departure as a presenter on '' Loose Women''. Vorderman explained:


Other television work

Vorderman is the presenter of the annual
Pride of Britain Awards The Pride of Britain Awards is an annual award ceremony which has taken place in the United Kingdom since May 1999 and first televised on ITV in April 2000. The awards honour British people who have acted bravely or extraordinarily in challen ...
, which are televised by
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
. She began hosting the awards when they were first introduced in 1999. In 2004, Vorderman took part in the second series of '' Strictly Come Dancing'', partnered with professional dancer Paul Killick. She was the second celebrity to be eliminated from the show. She guest presented '' Have I Got News for You'' in 2004 and 2006 and also presented an episode of ''
The Sunday Night Project ''The Sunday Night Project'' is a British comedy-variety show by Princess Productions that first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005 under the title ''The Friday Night Project''. Originally broadcast on Friday nights, the show moved to Sunday n ...
''. Vorderman guest presented 15 episodes of ''
Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gr ...
'' in 2011. She presented the
ITV Food ITV Food is the name given to the category of cookery shows broadcast on the ITV (TV network), ITV Network. Although the ''ITV Food'' Itv.com, website has been dropped there are still several cookery programmes and items on other daytime shows. ...
show '' Food Glorious Food'' in 2013. In March 2013, Vorderman recorded an
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
gameshow pilot called ''Revolution''. On 29 June 2013, it was announced that the show had been "scrapped" by
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
. In 2016, Vorderman finished in eighth place in the sixteenth series of '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' On 7 April 2020, Vorderman appeared on ''
The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off ''The Great British Bake Off'' (often abbreviated to ''Bake Off'' or ''GBBO'') is a British television baking competition, produced by Love Productions, in which a group of amateur bakers compete against each other in a series of rounds, att ...
'' and won. Broadcast on S4C on 19 April 2020, Vorderman took part in the show ('Language Road Trip') and, with the help of
Owain Wyn Evans Owain Wyn Evans (born 9 March 1984) is a Welsh broadcaster and drummer. He is a radio DJ and TV presenter, and previously a weather presenter on '' North West Tonight'' and ''BBC Breakfast''. Evans is also a regular item presenter for the tele ...
, learned
Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
and completed various challenges in the language. An extra episode, ('Language Road Trip: Christmas') was broadcast at the end of 2020, interviewing each of the celebrities about whether they were still making use of their Welsh and the opportunities they had had to use Welsh during lockdown.


Filmography


Television


Outside television


Journalism

Vorderman has had newspaper columns in ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
'', and in the ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...
'' on Internet topics. She has written books on
Detox diet Detoxification (often shortened to detox and sometimes called body cleansing) is a type of alternative-medicine treatment which aims to rid the body of unspecified "toxins" – substances that proponents claim accumulate in the body over ...
s. Her No. 1 bestseller was ''Detox For Life'', produced in collaboration with Ko Chohan and Anita Bean and published by
Virgin Books Virgin Books is a British book publisher 90% owned by the publishing group Random House, and 10% owned by Virgin Group, the company originally set up by Richard Branson as a record company. History Virgin established its book publishing arm ...
, which sold over a million copies. Many school textbooks have been published under her name, chiefly by
Dorling Kindersley Dorling Kindersley Limited (branded as DK) is a British multinational publishing company specialising in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 63 languages. It is part of Penguin Random House, a subsidiary of German media co ...
in series such as ''English Made Easy'', ''Maths Made Easy'', ''Science Made Easy'' and '' How to Pass National Curriculum Maths''.


Commercial ventures

Vorderman also expanded her business ventures, launching a number of
Sudoku Sudoku (; ja, 数独, sūdoku, digit-single; originally called Number Place) is a logic-based, combinatorial number-placement puzzle. In classic Sudoku, the objective is to fill a 9 × 9 grid with digits so that each column, each row ...
products. In March 2007, she launched a brain-training game called ''Carol Vorderman's Mind Aerobics'' together with BSkyB. Also in 2007, she released a video game for
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
in the United States entitled ''Carol Vorderman's Sudoku''. In 2007, Vorderman did TV commercials for the frozen food chain Farmfoods – advertising "Chippy Chips for £1" and "Cadbury's Cones for 99p". In the autumn of 2008, soon after she completed her final regular ''Countdown'' show, Vorderman announced a new commercial venture, her own property development and sales company that would specialise in overseas holiday and retirement homes in the Caribbean, the Bahamas and Spain. It was called Carol Vorderman's Overseas Homes Ltd. She saw the company as a natural extension of her own experiences in buying and selling properties over recent years and was aiming at a target market of "families aged 35 plus". However, because of the
financial crisis of 2007–2008 Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of fi ...
, the venture proved short-lived. During March 2009 Vorderman publicly withdrew her name from the firm, which suspended trading soon afterwards. On 2 March 2010, Vorderman publicly launched her new commercial venture of an online mathematics coaching system for 4- to 12-year-old children under the name of the MathsFactor.


Endorsement controversy

Vorderman had maintained a long-standing endorsement of the
debt consolidation Debt consolidation is a form of debt refinancing that entails taking out one loan to pay off many others. This commonly refers to a personal finance process of individuals addressing high consumer debt, but occasionally it can also refer to a cou ...
company FirstPlus, an association that ceased in 2007. In 2006, the charity Credit Action attempted to highlight the potential dangers of debt consolidation, calling on Vorderman to stop giving First Plus credibility. Her agent responded that Vorderman had no intention of curtailing the contract for a service which was perfectly legal and offered by an excellent company. When interviewed by ''The Daily Telegraph'' in November 2008 Vorderman herself responded with:
"The secured loans market was criticised and it was pertinent to pick me out, because I was a face. I advertised FirstPlus for 10 years. We had something like £1.5billion out on loan and until a matter of months ago there were no repossessions. When that programme BC's Real Storywas made,
here were Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to: Software * Here Technologies, a mapping company * Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here Television * Here TV (formerly "here!"), a TV ...
no repossessions. Did they say that? Funnily enough, no."


Other activities

On 18 September 2010, Vorderman, a Catholic, co-presented events leading up to the Papal Vigil in
Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...
, alongside author
Frank Cottrell Boyce Frank Cottrell-Boyce (born 23 September 1959)"COTTRELL-BOYCE, Frank", ''Who's Who 2010'', A & C Black, 2010; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2009 ; online edn, Nov 200 Retrieved 2010-05-16. is an English people, English screenwriter, ...
. On 2 June 2012, Vorderman named a Class 91 (91110) "
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) is a Royal Air Force flight which provides an aerial display group usually comprising an Avro Lancaster, a Supermarine Spitfire and a Hawker Hurricane. The aircraft are regularly seen at events c ...
" at the
National Railway Museum The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the Science Museum Group. The museum tells the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It is the home of the national collection of historically significant ...
as part of the Railfest 2012 Event. In 2014, Vorderman qualified for a private pilot's licence and announced that she planned to fly solo around the world. She named her plane ''Mildred'' after Mildred, Mrs Victor Bruce, a British record-breaking racing motorist, speedboat racer and aviator in the 1920s and 1930s, who Vorderman has described as "my heroine. She’s one of the most incredible women of the last century". On 20 November 2014, Vorderman accepted the appointment of ambassador to the
Royal Air Force Air Cadets The Royal Air Force Air Cadets (RAFAC) is a volunteer-military youth organisation sponsored by the Royal Air Force that manages both the Air Training Corps and RAF Sections of the Combined Cadet Force. The organisation is headed by a former ser ...
, saying: "I am truly honoured to be appointed as an ambassador for the RAF Air Cadets. I can't wait to meet the cadets, and the adult volunteer staff who give so much of their time to support them. The cadets themselves are a shining example of the best of British youngsters, standing with them on a parade square will be a great privilege." Vorderman assumed the rank of Honorary Group Captain for the duration of her appointment. She is the first female to be appointed Ambassador in the
Royal Air Force Air Cadets The Royal Air Force Air Cadets (RAFAC) is a volunteer-military youth organisation sponsored by the Royal Air Force that manages both the Air Training Corps and RAF Sections of the Combined Cadet Force. The organisation is headed by a former ser ...
' 75 year history after taking over from former ambassador
Sir Chris Hoy Sir Christopher Andrew Hoy MBE (born 23 March 1976) is a former track cyclist and Racing driver from Scotland who represented Great Britain at the Olympic and World Championships and Scotland at the Commonwealth Games. Hoy is eleven-times a w ...
. Vorderman has also taken up learning the
Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language family, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut P ...
and has been using the Say Something in Welsh online course. In early 2020, she said "I've been learning Welsh ... and I love it. It's taken me back to my roots".


Personal life

Vorderman is a Catholic. She was first married in 1985 at age 24 to Christopher Mather, a
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
officer, but the marriage lasted only twelve months. Her second marriage was to management consultant Patrick King in 1990 at age 30. Vorderman had two children, Katie (b. 1992) and Cameron (b. 1997), with King; the couple separated in 2000. After meeting at a Christmas party in 1999, Vorderman and Des Kelly lived together in London from 2001, also using their other house in
Glandore Glandore (, meaning ''harbour of the oak trees'') is the name of both a harbour and village in County Cork, Ireland. Glandore is located about an hour's drive south-west of Cork city. The village has several pubs, with traditional music. It i ...
,
West Cork West Cork ( ga, Iarthar Chorcaí) is a tourist region and municipal district in County Cork, Ireland. As a municipal district, West Cork falls within the administrative area of Cork County Council, and includes the towns of Bantry, Castletownber ...
, Ireland. After five years together, Vorderman and Kelly separated in December 2006, publicly announcing the amicable split in January 2007 and after a brief reconciliation in Bristol according to reports. Vorderman shares her
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
home with her two children. Vorderman lived with or very near to her mother all her life, until her mother’s death in 2017. On 6 June 2020, she complained in a number of UK newspapers of being harassed by photographers in the road outside her home.


Honours and awards

Vorderman was honoured as a Member of the
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(MBE) for "services to broadcasting" in the Queen's Birthday Honours in June 2000. She has been elected as an Honorary Fellow of Bangor University in North Wales and, in 2000, received an Honorary Degree (MA) from the
University of Bath (Virgil, Georgics II) , mottoeng = Learn the culture proper to each after its kind , established = 1886 (Merchant Venturers Technical College) 1960 (Bristol College of Science and Technology) 1966 (Bath University of Technology) 1971 (univ ...
. Vorderman was voted UK Female
Rear of the Year Rear of the Year was a British award for celebrities who were considered to have an attractive posterior. It was created by publicity consultant Anthony Edwards in 1976. Initially, it was awarded only to women, but in 1986 the first award was ...
in 2011. In 2014, she became the first celebrity to win the award twice. In November 2021, Vorderman was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the
Institution of Engineering and Technology The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is a multidisciplinary professional engineering institution. The IET was formed in 2006 from two separate institutions: the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE), dating back to 1871, and ...
in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the engineering profession.


Political views

Vorderman has been critical of the Labour Party's education policies. In February 2009, it was announced that she was to head a task force established by the
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
to look at the teaching of mathematics. David Cameron commented, "Carol has got a passion for maths. We have all seen that on ''Countdown'' with her brilliant mental arithmetic and she is going to lead this task force so we can get the answers right." In an appearance on ''
Question Time A question time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers (including the prime minister), which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be ca ...
'' in March 2010, Vorderman was critical of all three major parties for hypocrisy in taking donations from non-domiciled taxpayers.


Charity work

Vorderman is a
patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
of the Cleft Lip and Palate Association (CLAPA) (her older brother, Anton, was born with a
cleft lip and palate A cleft lip contains an opening in the upper lip that may extend into the nose. The opening may be on one side, both sides, or in the middle. A cleft palate occurs when the palate (the roof of the mouth) contains an opening into the nose. The ...
). In 2005, she was the winner of ''
Ant and Dec's Gameshow Marathon ''Gameshow Marathon'' is a British game show, broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 17 September 2005 to 26 May 2007. After a quick retrospective look at the history of the particular show, the show itself is recreated. This involves recreati ...
''. As part of its 50th anniversary celebrations
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
ran a series of the nation's favourite game shows featuring celebrities competing to become Gameshow Marathon winner and raise money for the charity of their choice. As series winner Vorderman won £30,000 for CLAPA and £30,000 for Big Money, a grand total of £60,000 for CLAPA. In November 2011 Carol also appeared in the music video for New Vorder's 'Carol O Carol' (playing herself) a song written by Jim Salveson in 1999 about his love for Carol Vorderman. The video is directed by Tim Cocker and was released on 28 November 2011 in aid of the charity CLAPA. Vorderman appeared in a short film entitled 'Run for the future' which promotes prostate cancer awareness and a charity run held every year on the
Bristol Downs The Downs are an area of public open limestone downland in Bristol, England. They consist of Durdham Down to the north and east and Clifton Down to the south, separated by Stoke Road. Durdham Down Durdham Down is the north and east part of th ...
to raise funds for the BUI prostate appeal. She has also taken part in the
Great North Run The Great North Run (branded the Simplyhealth Great North Run for sponsorship purposes) is the largest half marathon in the world, taking place annually in North East England each September. Participants run between Newcastle upon Tyne and South ...
on several occasions to raise money for
Marie Curie Cancer Care Marie Curie is a registered charitable organisation in the United Kingdom which provides care and support to people living with a terminal illness and those close to them, and campaigns for better support for dying people. It was established in 19 ...
. This was in memory of
Richard Whiteley John Richard Whiteley (28 December 1943 – 26 June 2005) was an English presenter, and journalist, best known for his twenty-three years as host of the game show ''Countdown''. ''Countdown'' was the launch programme for Channel 4 at 4:4 ...
's sister Helen, who died of the disease. Vorderman is an active supporter and advocate of the
RAF Association The Royal Air Forces Association (also called the RAF Association or RAFA) is the largest single service membership organization and the longest standing registered service charity that provides welfare support to the family of RAF members. Th ...
charity, appearing at airshows and taking part in other fundraising events.


Videos and published writings

* ''Carol Vorderman's Pop Music Times Tables'', 1990 * ''Carol Vorderman's How to Write a Perfect Letter'', 1991 * ''How Mathematics Works'', 1996 * ''Carol Vorderman's Guide to the Internet'' (written with Rob Young), 1998 * ''Carol Vorderman's How to Do Sudoku'', 2005 * ''Carol Vorderman's Massive Book of Sudoku'', 2005 * ''Eat Yourself Clever'', 2008 * ''Carol Vorderman's Guide to Maths'' * ''Carol Vorderman's Detox Diet'' * ''It All Counts'', 2010


See also

* List of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series) contestants *
List of Strictly Come Dancing contestants The following is a list of ''Strictly Come Dancing'' contestants to date along with their age at the time of competing, professional partners, competition finish, number of dances, highest and lowest scores, total scores and average scores. This ...


References


External links

*
''Carol Vorderman''
(BBC Radio Wales)
''Debrett's People of Today''


{{DEFAULTSORT:Vorderman, Carol 1960 births Living people 20th-century Welsh writers 21st-century Welsh writers 20th-century Welsh women writers 21st-century Welsh women writers Alumni of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Welsh people of Dutch descent Welsh columnists Welsh women columnists Welsh television presenters Welsh Roman Catholics GMTV presenters and reporters People from Bedford People from Prestatyn People educated at Blessed Edward Jones RC High School Members of the Order of the British Empire Mensans Royal Air Force officers holding honorary commissions Countdown (game show) I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series) participants BBC Radio Wales presenters The Daily Telegraph people Daily Mirror people Alternative detoxification promoters British women pop singers Yorkshire Television People associated with Bangor University People associated with the University of Bath