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The Herald Scotland
22-07-2025
- Climate
- The Herald Scotland
I am a Scottish weather presenter - no wonder I love escape fantasies
Does anyone in Scotland really get through a day without mentioning the weather? 'I find all weather exciting, but you have to watch your language, because not everybody likes heat,' says BBC weather presenter Carol Kirkwood, who adores sunshine but understands why 30C can send us into a hot, bothered and tremendously sticky spin. For the vulnerable and elderly, heatwaves can even prove fatal. 'Don't be like, 'Oh, it's going to be a fabulous day,' just state the fact: 'It's going to be sunny and dry today. It's also going to be hot, temperatures getting up to 32 or 33 degree celsius…' Her tone at this point, so familiar to those that have watched her almost every day for the best part of 28 years, makes speaking to a weather presenter about the weather feel rather meta. Kirkwood has a new romance novel coming out (Image: free) Scottish meteorologist Kirkwood, 63, is not only on the frontline, reporting on increasingly volatile weather systems and climate change ('When I was growing up, there were four seasons, you had a definite winter, spring, summer and autumn. Now a lot of them tend to merge,'), she is also an ambassador for sheer escapism from such topics. '[Escapism is] always valuable because it takes you into another world, and you can leave your problems behind for as long as you're reading the book,' she says. 'There's so many things going on in the world, it's nice just to stick your nose in a book and forget about it for a time.' Hence her fifth novel, Meet Me at Sunset, a dramatic romance about a fashion designer called Camille Fontaine, who is 'running away from a shattered love affair' and whose secret-filled past is on the brink of overflowing into her present. More than your classic boy-meets-girl romp, Kirkwood says: 'I really hope you think at the end of it, 'I didn't see that coming'.' Her heroine is inspired by a woman Kirkwood spotted in a restaurant while on holiday in Majorca. 'She was a very elegant lady, she was French, sat upright, her back wasn't touching the seat. She had elegant outfits on. Her hair was in a chignon and she always had the same thing: a salad and a glass of white wine in one of these very delicate, fragile wine glasses. A puff of wind would knock it over and it would break,' she remembers reverently. 'She always looked out to sea and ate alone. I thought, 'Golly, why is somebody like this on her own? She's beautiful.'' The book is both an imagining of that woman's life and a chance for Kirkwood to run literary riot with some of her favourite topics: glamour, fashion and, of course, romance. One of eight children, Kirkwood's parents were hoteliers, and her adoration for glitz and glamour comes from watching Cary Grant, Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn films growing up. 'These are the movies my mum would watch and enjoy, and they were always so glamorous – and then you'd see Marilyn Monroe,' she says with an awed sigh. 'My idea of what Hollywood glamour is, and probably the reality of it, are two different things. But some of my characters live in amazing houses with swimming pools, they're in the sunshine and get into their open-top cars and off they go. Life isn't quite like that,' she accepts. 'I just think, to go into any store and be able to buy whatever you want, gosh, wouldn't that be nice?' Read more Most would agree that Kirkwood oozes glamour herself – and certainly did on Strictly Come Dancing in 2015 – but she's more self-deprecating. 'You might not think it to look at me on a daily basis, but I do love fashion,' she says with a light laugh, noting she can be hampered outfit-wise depending on what studio she's filming in. 'If I've got the green screen on and I wear a green dress with short sleeves, you would see the end of my arms, my hands and my head.' It can all end up a bit Andy Serkis/Gollum while you're eating your cornflakes if she's not careful. But you get the sense that Kirkwood is careful and sensible, while still finding the joy and pleasure in life. So she does 'try to look my best and stay healthy' but not because she's on the telly, 'but because I want to stay healthy. I got married not that long ago and I want to have a long life with my gorgeous husband, for as long as I can.' Kirkwood married Steve Randall, a police officer, in 2021. 'I am very happy and so lucky to have Steve. I wasn't looking for romance. He came into my life. We were friends before we became romantically involved, and that was nice. I got to know him as a friend, and he's so kind,' she says. So she's upped her protein intake and walks miles, often with Steve on the weekends, when they'll discuss books. This year she also decided to stop snacking. 'I don't know what it is, you sit down with a cup of tea and you think, 'I'll have a Twix'. Or in the evening, with a glass of wine, you think, 'I want some Pringles'. And now, I don't do that. If I have a cup of tea, I just have a cup of tea. And if we're having a glass of wine, I'll toast some pitta or chop up some carrots or red pepper and put out hummus and it's delish. What I have been missing all this time, stuffing my face with Pringles!' Meet Me at Sunset by Carol Kirkwood (Image: free) Steve (people like to make a fuss about the fact he's 14 years younger than her), she says, is 'very romantic and very generous. He's just a lovely man. I pinch myself. I'm punching, I'm really punching.' I tell her no way! And she says, clearly smiling on the end of the phone, 'He says he's punching!' Kirkwood's attitude towards romance is refreshingly cynicism-free, and yet, at the same time, thoroughly realistic. She is wonderfully invested in the whole concept, even though it comes with no guarantees. 'I love hearing about how people meet. I feel sad when relationships break down. I was married before (to property developer Jimmy Kirkwood, they split in 2008), and we got divorced, and it's always sad when that happens,' she muses. 'But of course, there isn't such a thing – I don't think – as a perfect romance, where you're never going to fall out or have cross words. Of course you are, that's life.' Despite all the heartache and the risk though, she is firm: 'We all need a bit of romance in our lives. I know it may not be the genre that's trendy at the moment, but it will always come back. I think there'll always be room in the world for romance.' Meet Me at Sunset by Carol Kirkwood is published in hardback by HarperCollins, priced £16.99 (ebook £8.99). Available now.
Daily Mirror
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Carol Kirkwood planning to retire from BBC in two years to travel with husband
BBC Weather presenter Carol Kirkwood has revealed her plans to travel around Europe with her second husband, who is 13 years younger than her BBC weather presenter Carol Kirkwood has revealed she intends to retire in a couple of years when she hits 65 - and take off around Europe with her toyboy husband. The 63-year-old has been a fixture on BBC Breakfast for the past 27 years. But dropping hints she's not going to make her 30th anniversary of predicting sunshine and showers, Carol confessed that she and husband Steve Randall are planning to head off into the sunset. 'We fell in love with Majorca, which is where we went so I could research my fifth novel, Meet Me at Sunset, about a woman running away from a shattered love affair,' she explained. 'Steve and I also plan to escape and travel for some time when we retire, perhaps in a year or two. We'll either travel in a camper van, or get in the car, cross over to France and just drive.' Carol has built up an army of fans over the decades, and her decision to quit when she hits normal retirement age will sadden many viewers. The TV star said that being older than her husband, a policeman, doesn't bother her. She told Saga Magazine: 'Steve is 50 this year. Other people's opinions about an age gap don't matter – I don't feel he is younger than me.' The weather expert married Steve at Cliveden House two years ago, with just themselves in attendance. She said that finding him, when she wasn't looking for love, had been down to pure luck. "Meeting my husband Steve was fate,' she explained to Saga Magazine. 'We were at a function neither of us wanted to go to. It was a Sliding Doors moment – if I hadn't gone, we would never have met. "We chatted, he gave me his number, and ages later, we met for coffee. He was only a friend before we became involved. I wasn't looking for a romance; I was happy being single. After a 25-year marriage, I needed to find myself.' Carol was married to property developed Jimmy Kirwood for 18 years from 1990 and described their divorce as 'devastating' at the time. But since settling down with Steve, she has told how contended she feels. Last year she declared: 'Love is lovelier the second time around. No disrespect to my first husband, but this is better." She said that Steve proposed on a riverbank near their home in Berkshire. 'Although we'd talked about getting married, it still came as a shock,' she admitted. "Our wedding at Cliveden House was the most perfect day. Storm Gerrit was raging outside and we didn't even notice. It was about us getting married rather than having a big, fancy wedding. We had no guests and wrote our own vows, which was really emotional. When you are older, you know more what you want." Born in Morar, Inverness-shire to hotelier parents, Carol is one of eight siblings. After graduating from what is now Edinburgh Napier University with a degree in commerce, Carol joined the BBC as a secretary in London. By 1993 she was working as a freelance presenter and three years later she joined The Weather Channel. When it closed down she underwent training at the Met Office before joining BBC News in 1998. She is now the main weather presenter on BBC Breakfast, remaining in London when the show moved to Salford in 2012.
Daily Record
21-07-2025
- Climate
- Daily Record
BBC Breakfast's Carol Kirkwood opens up on being off air for weeks after accident
BBC Breakfast weather presenter Carol Kirkwood has revealed she was once involved in a nasty bike accident during the pandemic. BBC Breakfast's beloved meteorologist Carol Kirkwood has shared details of her traumatic experience after being knocked off her bike during the pandemic, an incident that led to a three-week absence from work. Now, the 63-year-old has opened up in a recent interview about the long-lasting effects of the accident which occurred five years ago. Carol has revealed that it has significantly impacted her ability to enjoy cycling. The TV personality, who married her partner Steve in a private ceremony in 2023, expressed gratitude for his unwavering support throughout her recovery. Speaking to Saga magazine, Carol recounted the harrowing event, commenting: "During the pandemic, I was on my bike and someone drove into me, knocking me off. "I was taken to hospital with a severe injury to one of my knees and was off work for three weeks." She elaborated on the lasting impact of the accident, adding: "The accident stopped me cycling and gave me a fear of riding on roads. I've been back out on my bike with Steve but when a car overtakes, I get nervous and feel I'm going to fall off. So I don't tend to cycle any more, which is a shame because I loved it." At the time of the accident, Carol had informed her Twitter followers that she had been "injured" and was receiving treatment at a hospital in Slough, reports the Express. Expressing her gratitude, she said: "Biggest thanks ever to the police (Chris and Faye), the ambulance crew (Miranda and Stewart) who tended to me and took me to hospital." Returning to BBC Breakfast on a Tuesday morning after her recuperation, she acknowledged her injury to viewers. At the time, she said: "I still have a nasty injury on my knee but I'm still here."In the same interview, Carol candidly discussed her 13-year age difference with her spouse, Steve. She revealed: "Steve is 50 this year. Other people's opinions about an age gap don't matter - I don't feel he is younger than me. "He is so romantic. On the days I work, he gets up at 2.45am to make me a cup of tea and packs my breakfast." The Breakfast presenter has been quite occupied of late, having recently published her third novel, Meet Me at Sunset, earlier this year. Carol Kirkwood's full interview can be found in the August edition of Saga magazine.
Daily Mirror
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
BBC's Carol Kirkwood opens up on 'severe' accident that left her off air for weeks
BBC Breakfast presenter Carol Kirkwood was rushed to hospital after being knocked off her bike in a horror accident during the pandemic. Carol Kirkwood has opened up about a terrifying accident that left her hospitalised and unable to work on BBC Breakfast for three weeks. The 63-year-old weather presenter was knocked off her bike during the pandemic, resulting in a severe knee injury. In a recent interview with Saga magazine, she revealed how the incident has affected her love for cycling. Carol shared: "During the pandemic, I was on my bike and someone drove into me, knocking me off. I was taken to hospital with a severe injury to one of my knees and was off work for three weeks." She went on to explain how the accident has instilled a fear of cycling on roads, addig: "The accident stopped me cycling and gave me a fear of riding on roads. "I've been back out on my bike with Steve but when a car overtakes, I get nervous and feel I'm going to fall off. So I don't tend to cycle any more, which is a shame because I loved it." At the time of the incident, Carol took to Twitter to share that she had been "injured" and was taken to hospital in Slough. She expressed her gratitude towards the police and ambulance crew who assisted her, saying: "Biggest thanks ever to the police (Chris and Faye), the ambulance crew (Miranda and Stewart) who tended to me and took me to hospital." After three weeks away, Carol returned to BBC Breakfast, informing viewers that her leg had been hurt. "I still have a nasty injury on my knee but I'm still here," she told concerned viewers at the time. In the same interview, Carol candidly discussed her 13-year age difference with her husband Steve. She revealed: "Steve is 50 this year. Other people's opinions about an age gap don't matter - I don't feel he is younger than is so romantic. On the days I work, he gets up at 2.45am to make me a cup of tea and packs my breakfast." The Breakfast host has been keeping herself busy, having recently published her third novel Meet Me at Sunset earlier this year, reports the Express. Carol Kirkwood's full interview can be found in the August issue of Saga magazine. BBC Breakfast is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
