Carol Vorderman talks life in her 60s, lockdown and menopause; "I've told my trainer I've got three things I want to do by the end of the year -- a full press-up, a handstand and the splits!".
Byline: By, Siobhan McNally & Neil Shaw
The Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards are back to honour the nation's unsung heroes, and host Carol Vorderman has looked back on her 22 years with the amazing awards.
Here Carol opens up on everything from life in her 60s, to the highlights of Pride of Britain over the last 22 years.
Sixty is the new 20, according to the nation's favourite maths whizz, who says she's in the prime of her life and wants more play and less work.
"I know I'm 60 -- I know that because my birth certificate says so," says Carol Vorderman, as she chats from her Bristol home. "But I've got the greatest sense of freedom that I've ever had. In my head I feel like I'm 20!"
The twice-married TV presenter said: "I was a good daughter to my mum until she died in 2017, and I've looked after my kids, Katie, 29, and 24-year-old Cameron, as a single parent, and they're happy. So it's like... what shall I do now"
And Carol can't believe she's been hosting The Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards, in partnership with TSB, for an incredible 22 years. Nominations for this year's awards open today.
She adds: "And next year it will be 40 years since Countdown started. But I'm not that bothered about being on the telly any more. I worked my butt off last year and I don't want to do it any more."
Lockdown took its toll on the mum-of-two, and she said: "I was really busy, I was making a couple of new TV shows and books, plus filming new stuff for The Maths Factor."
"I found lockdown difficult -- like everybody. By last Christmas I was bloated and I was not well. Tired beyond tired, and I was finding filming... not pleasant.
"So in January I said to my agent, 'Right, I'm just not doing that any more. I don't see the point. I'm going to concentrate on my health, so that's what I've been doing."
Her work with Pride of Britain has also made Carol determined to spend more of her time helping others. Revealing how for years she's been working with Swansea and Cambridge universities secretly giving away educational bursaries to help children from a deprived background, she said: "And now I want to do even more. My old school in Rhyl is still 50% free school meals, so I'm going to be doing a lot with them. And also I plan to set up a foundation in the future."
"I've lived a very interesting life, a life I couldn't have dreamt of as a kid as I was from a really poor family. And I want to give something back."
You also get the feeling she's not looking...
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