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Daily Record
Daily Record
Entertainment
Tasha Hall

Inside life of Carol Vorderman from broken marriages to 'care free' multiple dating

Carol Vorderman is no stranger to being a prominent face on British television, having shot to fame as co-host of Countdown for more than two decades - as well as being known as one of the "UK's hottest women" in recent years.

The 62-year-old television host appeared on the popular gameshow for 26 years from 1982 to 2008 and has made a long list of appearances since then on the likes of This Morning, Loose Women, and Lorraine, and has also written numerous books.

And more recently she has become a central talking point again for her stint in the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! All-Stars spin-off show in South Africa where she joined other co-stars from previous seasons to battle it out as the 'ultimate' jungle legend.

Carol first appeared on the original ITV show in the Australian jungle for its sixth series in 2016. We reported previously that she is expected to rake in a hefty amount for her appearance this time, having been given £200,000 a few years ago despite coming in eighth place.

And while she fronts a very public persona, the star generally tries to keep her personal life out of the spotlight. Here is everything we know about Carol, her family life, and her relationships.

Is Carol Vorderman married?

Despite the 62-year-old being happily single and lapping up the dating scene currently, she has actually previously been married twice before.

Carol first tied the knot at the age of 24 in 1985 to Royal Navy officer Christopher Mather but the romance didn't go the long haul, and they split after 12 months of walking down the aisle together. She previously opened up on the split on her BBC Radio Wales show.

She said: "I went into the 321 costume department – remember 321 with Ted… You know 321 Dusty Bin?," she told host Owain Wyn Evans with reference to late comedian Ted Rogers' former gameshow.

"And I found a frock to wear at night time – it was like something they now wear in Strictly Come Dancing. It was entirely meshed with sequins in the right places." She added: "So I had this thing that was probably not appropriate for a bride and I got on the stage and sang It's Raining Men."

Her second marriage was to management consultant Patrick King in 1990 when she was 29, and the pair went on to have two kids together before separating in 2000.

But as you can imagine, she has never been short on dating offers having been linked previously to a string of other people including Sports Broadcaster Des Kelly from 2001 to 2006. Although she was adamant not to walk down the aisle for a third time, saying during an appearance on BBC Radio Wales: "Obviously I'm not doing it again!"

More recently, Carol has opened up about her dating life as she said she is "not ready to settle down" and is loving the casual dating scene according to reports in the Daily Express.

We previously reported how she spoke of her five "special friends". When she was pressed if she was in a relationship during an appearance on the Rule Breakers podcast, she said: "I have a system which I've had for ten years.

"They're called 'special friends'. I spoke a couple of months ago about having 'special friends' and it was like, again, the world had fallen in for some people but actually what I found was there was an awful lot of women who said 'I'd never thought about it like this'."

Speaking about the duration of her bond with each of her "special friends", she said: "[I've been with one] 11 years, one seven years. You know everyone is single. It's a happy place. I hasten to add I'm not into one-night stands."

The brains run in the family

Carol is a proud mum to two children, Katie, 32, and Cameron, 26, whom she shares with her former husband Patrick King and often pays tribute to the pair on her Instagram page where she often updates her loyal fleet of 336k followers.

Her 26-year-old son Cameron actually suffers from severe learning disabilities, but that didn't stop the doting mum from raving about her offspring's academic achievements as he went on to gain a master's degree from Dundee University.

Carol Vorderman and her daughter Katie (also known as Kate) have often been told how much they look alike. (carolvorderman/Instagram)

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Carol detailed the struggles he faced growing up, saying: "By six, this child I loved so much, that I would have done anything for, was being rejected - by the school, by the teachers, by the other pupils.

"It was heartbreaking, utterly heartbreaking. And I was lost. Was I going to have to teach him at home, myself? How? I just wasn't equipped. I didn't know how to teach a child with this level of special needs," she shared.

Of her son's special needs, Carol explained: "There are overlapping circles, with severe dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, ADD and autism."

And it appears the brains run in the family, as Carol previously honoured her daughter Kate on her social media after handing in her thesis at Cambridge.

Carol told her Instagram fans: "A big day in this family. My daughter Katie @katie.science (research scientist) handed in her thesis for her PhD at Cambridge University.

"Proud mum moment. She has a real work ethic, got her honours degree and her master's degree at Cambridge and now, fingers crossed, her PhD."

She added: "Her subject was NANOTECHNOLOGY and the delivery of a new cancer drug specifically to only the tumour...she has helped to invent the system of delivery which will change so many treatments of tumours in the future."

Who are Carol Vorderman's parents and siblings?

Carol is actually the youngest of three, born to her Dutch father Anton, who is known as 'Tony' and her Welsh mother Edwina. Her parents split three weeks after they gave birth to Carol and she didn't see her father again until she was 42. Her father passed away in 2007 and her mother in 2017.

Carol previously told the Guardian: "My father was having an affair with a 16-year-old when Mum was pregnant with me. She found out when I was three weeks old and left, not surprisingly.

"She had three children; my sister, who is 10 years older than me, and my brother, who is eight years older. We went to live in North Wales, which is where Mum grew up. Her uncle allowed us to rent a house and we lived in the ground floor, two-bedroom flat and rented out the top-floor flat."

Speaking about the lack of contact with her father, she added: "That rejection was terribly hurtful and it went on for years. After his wife died he tried to make contact with me when I was in my 30s, but it wasn't until I had two children that I thought, I'm denying them a grandfather, get your act together. I met him then."

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