Carol Vorderman

Carol Vorderman Reveal Party

2009-10-21T04:20:00.004+01:00

For years she tried to hide away what she calls her 'signature Vorderman bottom'.

But it seems that former Countdown presenter Carol has finally learned to love her 'sticky out, bigger-than-normal' curves.

And to help her make the most of them she has embraced the dresses of stick-thin Victoria Beckham - wearing a second of the former Spice Girl's designs last night.

The 48-year-old wore the £2,095 Carmontelle cashmere-blend dress on the red carpet at a party for the magazine Reveal, for which she writes a column.

It came less than a fortnight after a photo of her in a zipped Posh creation won her acres of admiring press coverage.

And her new purchase was equally flattering - skimming her curves as she posed.

The dress has previously been seen on Victoria herself and model Elle Macpherson, who is a big fan of the designs.

Earlier yesterday Carol had pulled on an ultrafeminine jumper dress as she joined the Loose Women panellists.

Last week Carol admitted that she had once resented her figure, wishing she was a newsreader so she could 'have hidden underneath the desk'.

But, she said: 'The truth is, by my age - 50 next year - you learn to put up with what you've got and what you can't really alter.

'I believe that as you get older, you become less concerned about looks. I see far too many young women fretting about their imperfections, not knowing what delights nature will thrust upon them as the mileometer clicks on.'

Carol announced she was leaving Countdown last November after 26 years. There were rumours she had faced a 90 per cent pay cut.

The star said her departure had caused her a huge amount of stress and that she wanted to enjoy time with her family. She moved to Bristol from London with children, Katie, 17 and Cameron, 12.

But in recent weeks she has returned to work, promoting her new soon-to-be-released autobiography It All Counts.

Meanwhile ratings for her former show have plummeted from 1.3million to 650,000 since Rachel Riley took over in January with new host Jeff Stelling.

Credit: Daily Mail and spearce8

Carol Vorderman Loose Women

2009-10-21T03:51:00.008+01:00

Carol Vorderman visits Andrea McLean and the rest of the Loose Women.

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Carol Vorderman loves her bum

2009-10-09T10:45:00.005+01:00

Carol Vorderman HQ Pictures outside GMTV Studios.

This week my 'love of figures' has been in the headlines again... only this time apparently it's my figure, not sums, and in particular my fuller derriere.

I presented a TV awards ceremony in a full-length, figure-hugging grey bandaged Herve Leger dress and I later wore an equally snug Victoria Beckham dress to appear on GMTV.

One outfit led to a comparison with the singer Beyonce, and the other J-Lo - both women known for their, er, generous behinds.

At home, of course, I am better known as the rather less glamorous 'Big Bum'.

We all have, in my family, what we call the 'Vorderman bottom' - a sticky out, bigger-than-normal, signature, of the rear variety.

It's been a family joke all our lives - even my lovely brother has one. I know the lines to all the good singalong big bum songs.

From Queen's Fat Bottomed Girls to my new favourite by the Arctic Monkeys, Mardy Bum. It's sod's law that for half of my time on Countdown I had to stick my largest asset towards the camera as I bent down to grab all those numbers and letters (a BB, please Carol).

Secretly, I always fantasised about being a newsreader, as then I could have hidden underneath the desk and worn slippers all day. Now, that's a job to cherish.

The truth is, by my age - 50 next year - you learn to put up with what you've got and what you can't really alter.

If you want to look nicer, you get dimmer switches installed at home. Play to your strengths, my mum always says, which frankly doesn't leave me a lot to play with other than a waist, so I try to make sure I have a belt or a dress that goes in and out.

I believe that as you get older, you become less concerned about looks. I see far too many young women fretting about their imperfections, not knowing what delights nature will thrust upon them as the mileometer clicks on.

I remember going on the Frank Skinner show a few years ago and Frank kindly pointing me in the direction of the Carol's Bum website, which was funny at the time (it displayed a series of pictures of my rear, if you really want to know).

The problem is that if I ever Google my own name (known as an ego search), it is now the third listed website on the front page. You see, there is no escaping the Vordie bum.

Now, I'm not making excuses, but the thing about the television lens is that it makes you look about a size-and-a-bit bigger than you actually are.

When I was on Countdown with Richard Whiteley and I would walk into the studio for the first time, there was always someone in the audience who'd say: 'Hey Carol, love, you don't look half as fat as you do on the telly.'

At the moment, I'm 5ft 6in and about a size 10/11 (I haven't been on the scales for nearly a decade, so I've no idea what weight I am) so on the screen I look about a size 12/14.

When I did the detox diet years ago, I was a size 8, but looked like a size 10. The camera does lie - constantly - so be aware girls, when you see a presenter on the box who looks like a size 8, they will be borderline bony in real life.

And if they look skinny in photos, I can guarantee they will look worryingly thin in person.

That all said, I'm not a great planner of outfits - in fact, I'm pretty rubbish at it. The long grey Herve Leger dress I wore for the TV awards this week, I bought three years ago in a sale.

I'll let you into a little secret. Bristol Airport is less than 15 minutes away from my house - so now and then I buy a £30 Easyjet flight to Paris and go for lunch.

Anyway, there I was, walking around this back street in Paris and I passed the Herve Leger shop and it said 90 per cent off, on a big sign in the window. In I went and walked out with about six dresses, all under £100 each. I love a bargain.

On Sunday, the long posh dress I had intended to wear to present the Pride Of Britain Awards the following day, ordered from a smart designer, arrived and it was a disaster.

It didn't fit properly and I couldn't lift my arms up in it, which is a problem when you're working with children on stage, so I rummaged around in my wardrobe and dragged out the grey Herve Leger one and thought: 'That'll do.'

My hairdresser Shaun (Bristol again, and a quarter of the price of London salons and equally as marvellous) had tidied up my hair a bit last weekend, while tutting at me all the time.

Two weeks ago, I was a bit fed up with my shoulder-length hair, so I stood in front of the mirror and cut it myself to just below the chin. Shaun made me promise not to get the scissors out at home again.

So it was the bargain basement dress for the event followed by a 'squeeze you in and push you out' Victoria Beckham dress for my appearance on GMTV.

I ordered the VB dress months ago (it cost £1,180!). It's been sitting in a box until this week and I thought I'd try it on and, lo and behold, it fitted. VB doesn't have a BB (big bum), as we all know, but her dresses are very flattering to those who do.

The sleek, classic Forties design is always a winner. They are an inch or two longer than most day dresses, so the hemline is underneath the knee, which is flattering and genius.

Roland Mouret started the trend for zips at the back and the extra length a couple of years ago, and I love those dresses, too.

Dresses that end at, or slightly above, the knee are just about the worst length of all if you have a fuller derriere.

I've had my fashion disasters - just name a year and I could send you a photo album - but does it really matter, as long as you're having a good time?

These days, I really can't be that bothered with all the red carpet stuff. I'm happier going off to my offices to see my maths gang and write some more sums for the maths school I've been creating for the internet.

And I'm actually quite looking forward to elasticated waistbands in the years to come.

So, back home, Big Bum here has zipped herself out of that Victoria Beckham dress and climbed back into her Marks & Spencer leggings. Bliss.

Credit: DailyMail and Kommienezuspadt

Carol Vorderman Pride of Britain Awards

2009-10-08T13:21:00.005+01:00

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Carol Vorderman Paul OGrady Show

2009-10-08T13:17:00.002+01:00

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Carol Vorderman Outside GMTV

2009-10-07T23:15:00.007+01:00

Her confidence may have been knocked when she was unceremoniously replaced by a much younger woman on Countdown, but Carol Vorderman proved today she still has plenty of pluck left in her yet.

The 48-year-old flaunted her enviable curves as she sashayed out of the GMTV studios in a sleek Victoria Beckham design.

The Ribart felt dress, a limited edition from the Autumn/Winter 2009 collection, features Posh's trademark zip that runs from top to bottom.

She also looked rather pleased with her youthful new haircut after trading her long locks for a relaxed flicked bob.

The star recently complained she has gained a few extra pounds after taking time out from the spotlight.

'When I put on weight, which I have a little recently, it goes to two places instantly – my bum and up top – it doesn’t go anywhere near my waist or my legs.

She says she now seeks out clothes that 'hide all the bumps.’

But she certainly looked in impressive form yesterday, with the black confection hugging her figure in all the right places.

Fashion critics initially criticised Posh's designs, saying they would suit on those with tiny Twiglet waists.

But Carol is the latest shapely star to shine in one of her confections after the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Katherine Jenkins.

Vorderman hosted the Pride of Britain awards earlier this week but has otherwise made a conscious decision to slow down when it comes to her career.

She announced she was leaving the show after 26 years in November amid claims she had been told to take a 90 per cent pay cut.

She was swiftly replaced by 23-year-old Rachel Riley.

She says: 'After all the other stuff that happened, I have kind of taken a break this year and said no to 95 per cent of what has been offered, because I didn’t want to take on any new roles.'

She has instead been enjoying a quieter life after moving to Bristol with her children Katie, 17 and Cameron, 12.

'It is the exact pace of life I like,' she told the Mirror. 'In London I can be buying some underwear and someone will say, “All right Carol?” and everyone is lovely, don’t get me wrong, but it’s nice to not have to deal with that sometimes.’

But Vorderman insists she is not bitter about being traded in for a younger presenter.

‘Of course ageism exists, without a doubt,’ she says. 'The thing is, I have had a great life in telly. I had 26 or 27 wonderfully happy years, largely down to Countdown, and I have no complaints.

'There was sexism and ageism in the past, but at that time I was the young woman getting the job, so now I am the oldie I can’t be a moaner.’

Credit: Daily Mail and therion

Carol Vorderman GMTV

2009-10-07T12:55:00.000+01:00

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Carol Vorderman Pride of Britain Awards

2009-10-07T12:45:00.001+01:00

Carol Vorderman hosts the Pride Of Britain Awards at Grosvenor House, on the 5th October 2009 in London. Among those who attend were Jenni Falconer, Zoe Salmon and Sammy Winward.

Credit: Pride of Britain Awards

Carol Vorderman Real Radio 105.4fm

2009-10-07T10:34:00.001+01:00

Carol Vorderman talks about the Pride of Britain awards on Real Radio 105.4fm.

Telly favourite Carol Vorderman talks to Wes Butters about the incredible individuals who won awards at the Pride of Britain Awards.

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Asked about the highlights and funny moments on the show, Carol said that Doris Long was one to watch.

Carol told Wes: “I love this woman, she has been raising money for a hospice in Portsmouth, her name is Doris Long and she is a champion abseiler... and she is 95!

“She is absolutely remarkable. She decided to take up the sport when she was a mere 85!”

In fact, the only thing getting between Doris and abseiling is health and safety.

Carol giggled: “What we wanted to do was to get her to abseil down the front of the Grovesnor Hotel in London and she was very annoyed because health and safety stopped her! That’s so British isn’t it?”

But Carol, the host of the star-studded Pride of Britain Awards for the last 11 years, was moved to tears by many of the brave and incredible stories.

One local man honoured was Manchester-born Royal Marine Sgt Noel Connolly, who bravely hurled himself on to a Taliban suicide bomber packed with 154lb of explosives

Credit: realradionorthwest

Carol Vorderman attacks Government

2009-10-07T10:30:00.001+01:00

Vorderman, 48, said she was "so aggrieved" with what Labour had done to education.

"I tell you what, as soon as you lift a rock, there is snakes down there," she said. "I feel for the teachers, I feel for the lack of teacher training and I feel ultimately for the kids.

"Honestly, this I not a party political statement, but they have been let down consistently by this Government in a number of different ways."

Vorderman, who was being interviewed on the London radio station LBC, said she had harboured a secret ambition to be a maths teacher and was delighted to be asked to help David Cameron, the Tory leader, look at the future of maths education in Britain.

"I accepted an offer from David Cameron earlier in the year to chair what I regard as an important taskforce which is looking at maths education," she said.

"I am not a card-carrying Tory. I don't carry a card and never have for any political party. But it is because it's my passion and pragmatically, at the time when I was asked, I thought, well who is going to be the new government?

"If I am going to do this piece of work and give all this time to it, I want it to at least have some influence perhaps when it is delivered next year. So hopefully I went for the right side because Gordon Brown asked me to do the same thing.

"But I was also so aggrieved with what Labour's done to education."

Credit: Telegraph

Carol Pride of Britain Photoshoot

2009-10-05T10:41:00.006+01:00

While the Alesha v Arlene controversy rages on, there is one female TV presenter over the age of 25 still standing strong. ‘Of course ageism exists, without a doubt,’ 48-year-old former number-crunching, consonant-selecting, MBE-owning, Pride Of Britain hostess with the mostess Carol Vorderman admits. ‘The thing is, I have had a great life in telly. I had 26 or 27 wonderfully happy years, largely down to Countdown, and I have no complaints. There was sexism and ageism in the past, but at that time I was the young woman getting the job, so now I am the oldie I can’t be a moaner. That’s my view on it.’

And, that, in a nutshell, is why the public love Carol. She has a natural honesty, and an easy manner people take to instantly. But it’s nothing to do with age that made her decide to take a step back from life in the public eye recently… ‘I thought I would be doing Countdown with Richard Whiteley when I was 60, you know, but things happen in your life. I adored him, and when we lost him it had a profound effect on me,’ she reveals. ‘It just changed me. I have been a workaholic for so many years, decades, and I knew nothing else, because as a kid I had to work hard. That was always your way out – work, work, work, play, play, work, work, work. And when Richard died, it just changed it. After all the other stuff that happened, I have kind of taken a break this year and said no to 95% of what has been offered, because I didn’t want to take on any new roles. All I have said I would do is a bit of comedy, one of those panel games, a little bit on The Politics Show and I am doing some maths things for The One Show.’ And, of course, presenting this year’s star-studded Daily Mirror’s Pride of Britain Awards.

So Carol is in a good place. Bristol, as it happens. ‘We have our own little airport,’ she says, talking of the city rather than a small aerodrome she might happen to have in her back garden. ‘I can get there from my house in 12 minutes and through the gate in another 12 minutes and fly to New York, Europe, or wherever I want to go. If I need to go to London there is a train every 15 minutes. It’s perfect.’

She made her decision to leave the capital two and a half years ago. ‘The motivation was the children,’ she says – she has two kids, Katie, 17 and Cameron, 12. ‘They were growing up in London and I just didn’t think it was the best place for them. They have got to grow up fast, perhaps faster than they want… And I have always been in love with Bristol, so I found a school and moved. It’s turned out to be the best thing for me as well. I love it and they love it, it’s brilliant. It’s a university town, so there are loads of bars and pubs. I’m knocking on a bit now, but anything I want to do I can do here, and, of course, it is half the price of London. It is the exact pace of life I like. In London I can be buying some underwear and someone will say, “Alright Carol?” and everyone is lovely, don’t get me wrong, but it’s nice to not have to deal with that sometimes.’

There’s that natural charm and honesty again. And the reason why Carol was the obvious candidate to present the first Pride of Britain Awards in 1999. It’s also why she has fronted every single event since, with this year being no exception. It’s an even more glittering event in 2009, with over 100 stars paying tribute to the nation’s real-life unsung heroes, including David Beckham, Simon Cowell, Girls Aloud, Ant & Dec, Bruce Forsyth and Paul O’Grady, as well as the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown and Prince Charles.

‘The first one wasn’t even televised,’ Carol laughs. ‘There was no rehearsal whatsoever. It was, “Here’s a script, Carol, try to learn it in an hour, get on a lectern and do it.” There was nothing like a teleprompter. It really was flying by the seat of your pants, but there was something about that element of it that made it work. But it was an amazing event. There were lots of awards like Sportsman Of The Year or Politician Of The Year, and then about a quarter of the whole event featured people you had never heard about before and their stories of bravery, courage and kindness and so on and those were the ones…’ She pauses. ‘The room just went silent,’ she adds. ‘And it was standing ovation after standing ovation and people were weeping. The very next day I went to my boss who ran all the factual stuff at ITV and said, “I have never seen anything like it, never experienced anything like it and this is really something that should be on telly.”’ And, of course, so it is (this Wednesday 7 October, ITV1 at 8pm).

So what will she be wearing this year? ‘I don’t know. But when I put on weight, which I have a little recently, it goes to two places instantly – my bum and up top – it doesn’t go anywhere near my waist or my legs. So hopefully I’ll be wearing something that hides all the bumps.’
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CAROL’S FAVOURITE PRIDE OF BRITAIN MOMENTS…
‘Oh God, there have been so many. I have to say, it does vary, but sometimes, like last year with the Teacher Of The Year Award [won by 39-year-old Pepe Rahman Hart] she was so funny. This boy band was presenting the award and she was so funny with them and with the audience, it was like a stand-up routine.

Then there was little Lydia Cross [Child of Courage in 2007]. Through meningitis she had lost a number of limbs. Her parents didn’t have much money, they lived in this small house and her sister had also been unwell. Her father had gone to work as a private hire security guard in Iraq and we arranged to show a film clip of him to her when she was on stage. I said to Lydia, “Just look into that camera there” – and I always go down on the floor with them because there is nothing worse than looking up at an adult in that situation – “We have got it linked to Daddy in Iraq. Just go, ‘Hello Daddy.’” And while she was looking at the camera we brought him in at the back of the stage. She just wasn’t sure what was happening, so she said it again and she heard him behind her and she just broke down, poor thing. He was due to go back to Iraq the following day, and because it was in the paper, and because it was on TV, a very kind donor said they would pay for an extension to the house to make life easier for her. That’s the thing with the Pride Of Britain Awards, there’s no downtime to it, it’s a rollercoaster of emotions throughout. But all the winners are such wonderful people and they all have this ability to be happy.’

Credit: Tab5, Mirror and therion

I couldn't judge awards

2009-09-29T23:24:00.003+01:00

Carol Vorderman has vowed never to judge the Pride Of Britain Awards again, because it's too hard choosing between the finalists.

The TV presenter will host the awards for the 11th time on October 5, but revealed she didn't enjoy the task of whittling down the list of deserving nominees to choose the winners.

Carol said: "I was on the panel once, but said I wouldn't do it again after that - it was too hard - everyone on the shortlist deserves it."

She added: "My excuse is I say 'I don't think I should be on the panel' but the truth is I found it very difficult."

Carol revealed some of the winners don't even understand what they have done to deserve the recognition they get at the Pride Of Britain Awards.

She said: "They are terribly modest people, some of them exude an air that says they're not into new-age anything. You sense a presence around them, like they're so good and full of goodness, largely. Others are exceptionally brave, or so kind. And loving to everyone. They take your breath away. But they don't think they're special, in fact some are even embarrassed by it.

"They don't realise why they're there. They praise the other winners, genuinely, because they recognise what the other people have done is marvellous but they don't see what they've done as being special."

Credit: The Press Association

Carol Vorderman Countdown Montage

2009-09-24T20:20:00.001+01:00

Credit: Shelfie and Interestingweekly

Carol Vorderman Run for the Future

2009-09-22T06:32:00.002+01:00

Maths mastermind Carol Vorderman led the countdown to start 1,000 people on their way around the Downs for this year's Run for the Future.

Organised by Bristol Rotarians, record numbers of men, women, children and even dogs raced 5km around the Downs to raise funds for the Bristol Urological Institute's (BUI) Prostate Cancer Appeal.

Lord Mayor Chris Davies blasted a horn to start the runners, many of whom were wearing tributes to fathers, grandfathers, uncles and friends who had been affected by the disease.

He said: "This is a fantastic effort by the organisers, runners and stewards. On behalf of prostate cancer sufferers now and in the future, I'd like to thank all the runners for the funds they raise.

Ms Vorderman said: "My mum has had two forms of cancer, ovarian cancer and then kidney cancer, and both of those were caught in the very early stages, so I'm very aware of how getting tested early on can help save lives.

"Women have smear tests and so why shouldn't men be tested for this? It's been a fantastic day and there is a great atmosphere here."

Olympic runner Nick Rose was first around the course. He said: "I'm here to support prostate cancer and if running a race can do that then that's great. In the last three years this event has enabled more and more research to be done.

"The Bristol Rotary club do a great job of raising awareness for this very worthy cause."

Mr Rose was closely followed by Simon Prior, 40, and his son Luke, 11, from Burnham-on-Sea, and Victoria Kenny, 14, the first female around the course.

Wearing orange tutus Lucie Pillinger, 27, from Whitchurch, and Heidi Waldron, 27, from Stockwood, said they were thrilled to finish the race.

Ms Pillinger said: "I'm running for my Dad who has prostate cancer, this is the second time we've run and Heidi is four months pregnant so she's done brilliantly. It's been a great day and between us we've raised over £350."

Among the supporters at the event was David Gillatt, director of BUI, who collapsed on the course last year with a heart attack.

He said: "I've been banned from taking part by my wife and daughter, otherwise I'd be running. I see where the funding for this goes and it will help create better tests to identify prostate cancer and help research and treatment in Bristol."

Organiser Martina Peattie said the event had raised £130,000 in the last three years it has been running.

She said: "This is almost twice the number of people taking part than we had last year, it's fantastic really. We've had lovely weather, it's been a great day.

"As many men die from prostate cancer as women from breast cancer, but men don't tend to raise awareness like women can.

"We started this four years ago after members of our rotary club died mainly through ignorance of the disease.

"We want to raise awareness and let people know they can go and have a test. We're also really pleased to see some Afro Caribbean teams here today, as research has shown they are actually three times more likely to develop the disease."

For a full list of entrants in this year's Run for the Future see today's Evening Post newspaper.

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Credit: ThisisBristol and Run for the Future

Vorderman becomes City trader

2009-09-22T06:26:00.001+01:00

Carol Vorderman, Jonathan Ross, Rory Bremner and Lisa Snowdon took over the trading floor of a City firm to raise money for charity - and some of them even considered a career change.

The annual event, held on BGC Partners' trading floors around the world, was originally founded in honour of employees who perished in the World Trade Center eight years ago.

The celebrities were raising funds for their chosen charities including Barnados, Breast Cancer Care, Help for Heroes and The Variety Club.

The brokerage fees, commission the company takes for each trade, will be donated to the chosen causes.

Television presenter Jonathan made himself at home on the trading floor, even putting his feet up on the desk.

He shouted down the phone at one buyer: "It's yours for £10 million, take the rest of the day off.

"Get Derren Brown on the phone, he can get you the numbers in advance."

After the trade he said he had no idea what he had been doing, "but it's worth £10 million to someone".

He added: "I didn't feel like Gordon Gekko, I felt more like Gordon Brown and he might not necessarily know what he's doing."

TV presenter Carol Vorderman also seemed to take it in her stride, saying: "I love these screens with numbers on them. I could do this, I could do this!"

Credit: Daily Mail

Carol Vorderman Glastonbury

2009-08-31T11:55:00.001+01:00

Credit: Save the Children

Carol Vorderman Active Health

2009-08-31T11:48:00.002+01:00

It's widely recognised that to stay in shape we need to combine healthy eating with regular exercise but with today's busy lifestyles it's not always easy to put into practice! Active Health with Carol Vorderman offers a fun, motivatin...

Description:

It's widely recognised that to stay in shape we need to combine healthy eating with regular exercise but with today's busy lifestyles it's not always easy to put into practice!

Active Health with Carol Vorderman offers a fun, motivating programme that anyone can follow. Inputting your personal details into the software allows Carol to calculate your BMI and provide you with a personalised programme outlining how many calories you need to consume and how much exercise you should do to maintain or lose weight.

Carol acts as your motivational guide throughout, helping you to achieve your personal goal whether it is to lose weight, boost energy levels, improve your fitness or all three combined.

Features:

* Includes Activity Meter
* Take control of your lifestyle with your own personal trainer
* Keep track of your activity and calorie intake
* Set yourself daily targets
* Help improve your diet with 70 healthy recipes
* Reach your goals whether it be losing weight or improving your fitness

Carol to star at NSPCC night

2009-08-31T06:30:00.001+01:00

Celebrities Ruby Wax and Carol Vorderman will appear as guests of honour at this year’s glittering NSPCC ‘A Night at the Oscars Ball’ in Coventry.

The annual fundraiser, which will take place at the Ricoh Arena on October 9, is sponsored by Jaguar Cars and the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.

Members of the NSPCC Coventry Business Group, which organises the event, are hoping this year’s ball will beat last year’s fantastic fundraising total of £70,000.

Since the group was formed in 1993, it has raised nearly £2 million towards Coventry’s Boole House in Whitefriars Street, city centre.

Geoff Cousins, chairman of the NSPCC Coventry Business Group and Managing Director of Jaguar Cars UK, said he hoped to break through the £2 million barrier with the help of the ball.

He said: “A Night at the Oscars promises to be an enjoyable as well as an emotional night, for we are confident that we will reach our £2 million target of funds raised for Boole House over the past 16 years.

“Last year’s ball was a very special and successful event. This year’s also shows all the signs of being at the very least equally successful.”

The black tie event, arguably the most popular on the Coventry and Warwickshire social calendar, will include a major auction, silent auction and top cabaret.

Last year’s event sold 500 tickets.

Sales for this year’s have so far topped 300.

Tickets are £95 each and tables are £950.

Credit: Coventry Telegraph

Carol Vorderman Would I Lie to You

2009-08-08T09:18:00.005+01:00

Carol Vorderman on Would I Lie to You? on Monday 10th August.

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Carol Vorderman Your Magazine

2009-08-08T09:07:00.002+01:00

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Carols Pride of Britain appeal

2009-08-04T11:46:00.000+01:00

Carol Vorderman's appeal for Pride of Britain nominations

Dear Editor, – In October I have the great pleasure of hosting the 11th annual Pride of Britain Awards, sponsored by the The Co-operative, on ITV1.

As your readers may know, it is an incredibly inspiring occasion where HRH Prince Charles and the Prime Minister join a star-studded audience to honour the nation’s unsung heroes.

For me, it's the only TV awards show that really matters because the winners make our country a better place for us all.

In these difficult times I believe it's more important than ever to celebrate the best of Britain.

But we need your help to find the people who put the Great into Britain so we can give them the recognition they deserve.

Do you know an unsung hero or heroine? Perhaps it's someone who has worked tirelessly to improve your community, a dedicated charity fundraiser or campaigner? Or a courageous child or adult, an exemplary teacher or care worker. Or a member of the armed forces or emergency services who put their lives at risk for others?

You can nominate your unsung hero for a Pride of Britain award by filling in a nomination form and posting it in boxes in Co-operative stores.

Or you can nominate by email: nominate@prideofbritain.com, online at www.prideofbritain.com or in writing to Pride of Britain Awards, PO Box 4014, London, E14 5BF.

Nominations must be received by Friday, August 7, to be considered by our panel of judges.

I know Pride of Britain 2009 will be another memorable night. But we need Stirling Observer readers help to make it so.

Carol Vorderman.

Credit: PerthshireAdvertiser

I make the best of what I’ve got...

2009-07-19T17:02:00.004+01:00

Carol Vorderman, 48, on how she stays slim (with the help of her green satin trousers), and being happy in her own skin

I put on about 10lbs during all the Countdown stuff. [Carol left Countdown in 2008 over a row about pay.] It was very personal and very vicious. I wasn’t sleeping at all because I was so stressed. When I’m stressed, that’s when my weight fluctuates.

The gym is not a natural place for me to be. I’ve been through periods occasionally when I start going for a year here and there, but it goes in cycles.

I had a personal trainer. I called her Cruella, but it is easier to stay on track when you’ve got someone else there. Trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle can be a lonely business. You don’t have to pay a trainer, but I think if you get together with someone else you’re far more likely to stay the course.

You have to work at being healthy. In your 20s you think you’re immortal – in your 40s you start to realise the effects. I’m supporting a campaign by Lloyd’s Pharmacy – the Neighbourhood Health Watch, which encourages communities to work together and support each other to get fitter at all ages. We’re going to see how well it works over a year.

I’m a big fan of walking. I got a psychedelic shopping trolley to pull along behind me and a pedometer. It’s amazing how the steps start adding up – I was walking about four miles a day and I dropped a stone in five weeks! You have to do it at a reasonable pace though – no dawdling.

As I’ve got older I’ve found I can’t hack booze. I couldn’t get drunk now I’m 48. It makes a difference like it never used to. I was never a binge drinker or anything, but now, a couple of glasses of wine and the next morning I’m fuzzy – everything’s harder and I’m more tired.

I’ve never smoked. Never taken a drug. I don’t get it. It’s stupid. People say you never know until you’ve tried it, but I don’t need to be in a plane that’s exploded to know what’s going to happen and I don’t need to smoke to know I don’t like it.

When I’m overtired, I start to eat. What I do now is, instead of eating, I’ll have a five-minute catnap.

When I had my first child, Katie, I couldn’t lose the weight. I was working six days a week. Then I got sacked by the BBC and suddenly there was a great big space in my diary, so I had time. But as soon as I went back into normal work mode it went back on again.

After my second child, Cameron, I went on a detox. I really had to make the effort, but I did it because I was worried about my health. As soon as I’d done it for a couple of weeks I started to lose weight rapidly and that made me feel better. It’s partly vanity, but I actually felt better too – I was irritatingly energetic.

Being in the public eye makes me worry about my body image. I was at Glastonbury last month and everyone was looking and passing comment. I mean, everyone’s nice, but still. I do it as well. If I see someone famous I look them up and down in a way that I wouldn’t with anyone else.

I am happy with my body, but please don’t convert that into, ‘I think my body’s great’. I’ve had that headline before. That’s absolutely not what I’m saying. As I get older, I think, well I’ve got what I’ve got, I’ll make the best of it.

I’m not very good at losing weight before a big event. I tend to go for the stomach holding-in pants instead. I’ve never been a crash dieter. I do still detox though and it always has a massive effect.

I don’t eat puddings. I have those pure fruit ice lollies you can get at supermarkets instead. They’re not overloaded with sugar and things. You have to read the labels though – a lot of stuff is sold as having ‘no nasties’ and then actually is really high in calories.

I haven’t weighed myself for years. I’ve got a pair of green satin trousers – size 8 with no give. I’d never wear them out but I try them on to check my size. I have stages: getting the button done up but not the zip; getting the button and the zip but not being able to sit down; then right at the thin end, being able to move properly in them.

You have to work at being healthy. In your 20s you think you’re immortal – in your 40s you start to realise the effects. I’m supporting a campaign by Lloyd’s Pharmacy - the Neighbourhood Health Watch which is encouraging communities to work together to get fitter at all ages. We’re going to see how well it works over a year if people have support.

Credit: Mirror Online

Carol Vorderman Royal Ascot

2009-07-15T18:04:00.003+01:00

Credit: Newslove

Carol Vorderman BBC

2009-07-01T01:53:00.002+01:00

Credit: ddandd

My Brother is Beautiful

2009-06-13T01:29:00.003+01:00

As a child, television presenter Carol Voderman witnessed how her adored older brother Anton suffered the ignominy and pain of a double cleft lip and palate. Here, for the first time, Carol, 48, and Anton, 55, tell of the battle to overcome a facial disfigurement and speech defect through 24 operations - and attack society's obsession with perfect looks. Here, they both tell their touching - and inspiring - stories

My extraordinary, bright and loving big brother was born on August 1, 1953. He had a shock of dark hair, dark brown eyes and a piercing gaze. He also had a cleft palate and double cleft lip - a disfigurement so bad he was whisked away from my mother the moment he was born.

Mum has since told me the full story of his early weeks - and it sounds almost barbaric. The midwife, who ran from the room with the baby in her arms even before Mum had been able to hold him, said to her: 'He has a hare lip, but it's all right, it will be repaired.'

Anton was a month premature and within 24 hours he developed severe respiratory problems. My mother was told he might not survive the night, and he was baptised and confirmed by the dean of our Catholic church.

It was to be another five days before Mum was allowed to see the baby. She told me later: 'It was such a shock to see his poor little face.' She wasn't allowed to hold him and visits were restricted to an hour a day in the nursery. All she could do was sit by the side of his cot and gaze at him.

A month later, Anton was still in hospital. Mum went for a post-natal check-up and the doctor said he would ring the nursery unit to find out how the baby was. He listened on the phone, then shot out of his seat.

He said to Mum: 'You need to take him home. He is weighing less than when he was born. If this baby is going to survive, he needs one nurse to look after him - and that's you.'

I can't imagine what it felt like for Mum to take him in her arms for the first time. But it was the start of the most remarkable display of motherly love which continues to this day.

Back at home, Anton found it hard to feed. His upper lip was split, and tissue was bunched up in a large lump under his nostril. His nose was twisted to the side of his face, and his lower lip pulled down. The nurses had been feeding him with a pipette, which exhausted him.
Support: Carol Vorderman and Antonpose at the Cleft Lip and Palate Association's 2004 ball

Support: The siblings pose at the Cleft Lip and Palate Association's 2004 ball

Then they tried a bottle with a long teat, but this rubbed against his lump of skin, making it red raw. Their final efforts had been to put milk in a medicine glass, tipping it into his mouth.

Mum used this method, putting a towel around Anton's neck and gently tipping the milk into his mouth.

She had no way of knowing how much milk he was taking in, but she knew the specialist at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool would not examine any baby with a cleft until they weighed nine pounds. It took four months for Anton to hit the weight.

His first operation, at the age of just five months, was to lift and centre the bone in his nose.

Three weeks later, Mum returned from our home in Prestatyn, North Wales, for Anton's second operation, to re-shape the bubble of tissue under his nostril into a functional upper lip.

For the first time, Anton had something resembling a mouth. It made his tortuous feeding routine much easier, and he repaid my mother with the first of his endless smiles.

At 18 months, Anton returned to hospital so the doctors could make him a palate on the roof of his mouth. Until then, he couldn't eat solids. If he tried, it would regurgitate up through his nose.

When Anton's teeth came through, they fell out. In the end, aged three, he returned to Alder Hey to have a dental plate fitted.

To this day, Mum thinks that our father struggled to accept a son with such an obvious disfigurement. Our father was a handsome man, and although he never said so, she believes he found it difficult to come to terms with Anton's problems.

Anton was seven when I was born, and my parents' marriage ended just three weeks later. From that moment on, my mother raised us and our older sister Trixie on her own with very little money.

So what are my own early memories of this remarkable brother? Anton's speech was badly affected. As soon as I could talk, I could understand what he was saying and became his unofficial interpreter.

Strange as it sounds, I never really noticed anything different about him. To me, he was just my older brother, and the kindest boy I had ever known. When I was a schoolgirl, it was Anton with his keen brain and endless patience who helped me with my maths homework.

But when he hit his teens, I became aware he didn't go out like our older sister Trixie.

He was, I later realised, crippled with shyness. If we walked down the street together, I would see people do double takes as they looked at his face. But I always saw Anton with a smile playing at his lips.

When Mum left the man who had become my stepfather during my teens, we went to live with Anton at his flat in Rhyl. I was a teenager, a time when you are naturally concerned about looking good. But in our family, the emphasis was never on beauty but on brains and hard work.

One of the hardest moments came when Anton had a major operation in his late 20s. He had to spend two weeks in hospital, with his upper and lower lip sewn together. There was a gap, for him to use a straw, and as soon as I came up to his hospital bed, he grunted: 'Don't make me laugh.'

It has always been hard to stop Anton from laughing. We spent the rest of the visit trying to stifle our giggles. Then, walking away, the indignity of his situation hit me. Kind, gentle Anton had never once complained.

Anton is pleased that he was born at a time when the quest for physical perfection wasn't as all-encompassing as it is today.

I feel so strongly about this that I asked for a special debate at the Cheltenham Science Festival this week. Last year, research by Cardiff University and the Healing Foundation found that through 9,000 hours of television from 2006 to 2007, people with disfigurements or disabilities were rarely shown in a positive light.

They were depicted in association with evil, bitterness or even crime, as gangsters with scars or burns victims living as twisted recluses. Meanwhile, there's the rise of prime-time documentaries known as 'shock docs'. TV producers admit their quest is for more rare and shocking conditions. I find this sort of television disgraceful.

Having been patron of the Cleft Lip and Palate Association for many years, I'd like to see the 'normalising' of disfigurements on television. Why can't people with a cleft or birthmark appear in soap operas?

Anton has never married. He'd have been a great father, but being single has given him the freedom to enjoy great success, enjoying life with dozens of friends, and establishing a European cleft charity. I'm so proud of all that he has achieved in life.

As a baby, he learned to smile through his pain. Anton's beautiful face is burned upon my conscience, and I never hesitate to agree with Mum when she says he is the real star of the family.

ANTON VORDERMAN, 55, is a property developer and company director, who has helped to launched the European Cleft Organisation to help the lives of children born with cleft palates. He is single and lives in The Hague, Holland. He says:

I can't remember exactly when I realised I was 'different'. I was probably eight or nine when I noticed my family were 'translating' for me because people who didn't know me couldn't understand what I said.

I had a thick, nasally voice - and I still do have a nasal twang, although it has improved through countless operations and speech therapy.

My mother was terribly protective. I remember arguing with my older sister Trixie, and Mum saying: 'Oh don't say that to him. He's . . .' And instead of saying: 'Got a cleft palate,' she would add: 'Not well.'

Looking back, both Trixie, who is three years older than me and Carol, seven years my junior, were also fiercely protective of me, although I never realised it at the time.

As for the operations, they all merged into one. I used to go to Alder Hey for surgery and I loved having time off school. The pain actually wasn't too bad. In fact, I remember begging the nurses to leave my drips in until after visiting hour was over, because I knew I'd get extra presents and sympathy from my mother.

Other kids would ask questions about why I looked different and I would be embarrassed, but it wasn't until I went to secondary school that the name calling began in earnest.

I remember being called 'Fingal's Cave' after the cavern in Scotland. It was really hurtful, but I learned to just laugh and run away.

Mum was the one who built up my confidence and, looking back, it must have been tough for her. She split up with my father when Carol was just three weeks old. I was seven and only saw my father a couple of times after that. Instead, my magnificent mother coped superbly as a single parent.

She has overcome every hurdle in life with a steely resolve and a smile. What she instilled in me, from the start, was the sense of being valued and loved, no matter what I looked or sounded like. It was frustrating to have to repeat myself over and over again before I was understood, but I never stopped to feel sorry for myself.

My teenage years were tough. It's hard to have confidence at the best of times, and I knew I was never the best-looking boy in the class.

At dances, I struggled to approach girls because I never had the 'pulling power' of my friends. But a touch of Dutch courage usually did the trick.

When I was 16, my friend bet me £5 that I wouldn't phone a girl called Frances up and ask her out. I did - and she said yes. We went out for a few months and we got on really well. The romance didn't last, but she still sends me Christmas cards.

The few girlfriends I did have must have taken some stick. I bet they had friends asking: 'Couldn't you do better than that?' They were probably as brave as me in many ways.

After school I went to university to study mechanical engineering, and then went to work for ICI in Cheshire and then moved to Holland to work for Phillips as a technical author.

My shyness was a problem throughout my 20s, but it made me happy with my own company.

It was only when I was 27 that a major turning point came and I had a reconstructive operation known as an Abbe flap. Until then, I had been very self-conscious. Children would come up to me and say: 'What's that?' Their parents, mortified, would hush them. I now have the confidence to say it doesn't matter and explain.

Before that surgery, my bottom lip was turned down, and my upper lip joined my face just under my nose. During the operation, the surgeon cut a section from my lower lip and added it to my top lip, giving me a philtrum - the depression between the top lip and the nose.

The difference was amazing. It was the first time I had gone out with a relatively normal looking mouth, and it made the biggest psychological difference to me. I'm not going to win Mr Universe or any beauty competitions, but I'm happy with that.

This was the first time I could look in the mirror, content with the face which stared back at me.

In all, it took 24 operations to correct the deformities and the resulting medical problems. Today, the same can be achieved with just two or three operations.

But I'm glad I grew up when I did. In those days, even as I was a painfully shy teenager, you weren't judged nearly so much on your looks.

There wasn't the internet, the celebrities, the endless emphasis on beauty and perfection, nor the easy access to plastic surgery. Our society today seems to demand pay-as-you-go perfection, with even teenage girls having breast implants. People are judged so much by what they look like - not who they are, or what they achieve.

Just occasionally, I wonder what life might have been like without a cleft palate, as an average-looking teenager who had grown up in poverty but with no real hardships.

And do you know, I don't think I would have accomplished nearly so much in life. I might have been still living in Rhyl, married with kids in a dead-end job and waiting for the Secret Millionaire to come along.

Instead, I grew up determined to prove everyone wrong. If I heard a doctor say: 'He won't do that,' I would do everything I could to show them otherwise.

I'm not married, but I've had relationships and I'm happy with the way things are. It's not a confidence issue, because in the 20 years since my big operation I've found real happiness and contentment.

If anything, I've learned that the strongest weapon is a mother's love - as well as Carol and Trixie's support. I'm not scared to say how much my remarkable family means to me.

Credit: Mail Online