Carol Vorderman has opened up about her health struggles over the past year
Carol Vorderman.(Image: PA)
TV and radio star Carol Vorderman delivered a surprising announcement in October 2024 when she revealed she was stepping back from her LBC Sunday radio programme following a “health scare”.
Twelve months on, she exclusively discloses that she has been “very poorly” throughout the past year, but has at last managed to emerge from the ordeal.
The former Countdown favourite said last year that she felt “fed up” about having to step aside, but wished and required to rebalance her professional and personal life.
Speaking to OK! before gracing the red carpet to present the annual Pride of Britain Awards, Carol said: “This year has been a bit hellish health-wise.”
“I’ve been very poorly, not related to the burnout but something entirely different.
“I’m on the right medications now, but it’s only in the last month or so that I felt I’ve got my mojo back. So watch out, world!”.
Carol Vorderman, pictured with Ashley Banjo in 2022.(Image: Daily Mirror)
The twice-wed and divorced mother of two also mentioned she had been depending on a network of close friends to boost her morale and help her relish her newfound time away from work.
She said: “I’ve had lots of mini-breaks and holidays with friends – gay friends, female friends I’ve had for 50 years, or some I’ve known for 10. I’ve been back to horse racing, I’ve travelled to the States, to France, to everywhere, actually,” reports the Mirror.
“Going back and seeing old friends has been wonderful. And the right friends, too. I think I’ve managed to drop all the bad ones.
“It’s easy to forget how much your old friends love you. I’ve had messages to say, ‘Oh, come and stay in our villa’, or ‘Come and visit us on our boat’. It’s lovely to be so loved, really.”
She also disclosed that she remains committed to her choice to embrace a rather unconventional dating approach, selecting several “special friends” rather than pursuing an exclusive relationship.
She first revealed her fresh perspective on romance whilst speaking with Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby during a This Morning appearance several years back, and maintains she harbours no second thoughts about sharing this.
“It really did a few headlines and I couldn’t understand why, because at that point I’d been practising it for a decade,” she said. “I’d say I’ve been single for 15 years, and I’ve had some fantastic adventures and I’ve loved it.”
Expanding on why she opts against becoming someone’s girlfriend, the Pride of Britain presenter explained that she couldn’t envisage having to seek anyone’s “for permission” to live her life.
“My brain never stops, and my capacity for adventure is huge. So, I don’t ever want to ask someone else again for permission to do something. It’s just not my nature. I’ve been married, I was happily married and I’ve got wonderful children.
“I have so much love in my life, and people who will come on adventures with me. I’ve got one friend who goes to the International Space Station every year, so I get a couple of phone calls from there. It’s wonderful! And I’m doing nothing wrong, because I’m single.”
