Carol Vorderman
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-->Carol Vorderman MBE (born Carol Jean-Vorderman on December 24, 1960 in Bedford, England), is a British television personality.
Career
Her family re-located to Rhyl in North Wales when her mother married for the second time. Vorderman attended the Blessed Edward Jones High School and later graduated from Sidney Sussex College at the University of Cambridge with a Bachelor of Arts degree (Third Class honours) after reading Engineering.After graduation, her mother's second marriage had broken down, and the family were back in financial difficulties. Vorderman found work as a graduate management trainee, but it was her mother who saw a newspaper ad asking for a woman with good maths to appear as co-host on a quiz show for the fledgling fourth terrestrial channel - Jean even wrote out the application for Carol.[link]
In 1982 at the age of 21, Vorderman made her name on the Channel 4 game show Countdown with Richard Whiteley, who died in 2005. Vorderman was a new kind of game show hostess, not only attractive but revealing her intellectual ability by carrying out fast and accurate mathematical calculations as part of the game (her IQ has been rated at 154[[Citing sources citation needed]]). Her continued success on the show saw her become one of the highest-paid women in Britain, earning two million pounds a year for her work. Vorderman and Whiteley were very close. She was gunged on Noel's House Party two years after Whiteley was.
She went on to present numerous other television programmes including the BBC's Tomorrow's World until she was dropped due to appearing in an advertisement for washing powder [link]. She moved to ITV, and went on to present numerous other television programmes including On Your Marks with Quizmania's Greg Scott, "What Will They Think of Next", "Tested to Destruction", "How 2" on CITV, the popular "Better Homes" which began in 1999 and spawned a spin-off "Better Gardens".
She was also the newspaper reviewer alongside Nigella Lawson and Gyles Brandreth on Breakfast with Frost.
In 2005, she beat off competition from other celebrities in ITV's Gameshow Marathon series, presented by Ant & Dec — to coincide with celebrations of ITV's 50th anniversary. With the help of her family, she beat off Vernon Kay and his family.
Carol has also had columns in newspapers The Daily Telegraph and the The Daily Mirror. She was awarded an MBE in June 2000.
Criticism
She has been criticised for over exposure and blatant commercialism and was mocked for wearing a revealing dress at the BAFTAs in 2000.The shows Vorderman chooses to present are rarely at the quality end of the spectrum. They have also helped her build up a personal fortune of £18m, and she has a reputation as a tough negotiator. At one point, for five years, she had two exclusive contracts; one to Channel 4 from noon to 6pm and another to ITV for the rest of the time.
Vorderman fronts TV adverts for First Plus (owned by Woolwich bank) a company which offers debt consolidation, and also for Remind4u.com. In 2006, Vorderman has become the subject of an online petition asking her to relinquish her role as a face for First Plus.[link]
Vorderman herself caused speculation with a mystery illness that resulted in a 12-day stay in hospital. She refuses to discuss the problem, leading to speculation that she has had cosmetic surgery.
Her political skills were not much in evidence in 2004 year when she turned up for a St Patrick’s Day bash at the Irish embassy in London. On this occasion, Vorderman’s faux pas was more than just fashion, when she appeared wearing a Protestant orange outfit and even orange fingernails.
Personal life
She was first married at age 24 to Chris Mather, a naval officer and former rugby league international player, but the marriage only lasted eighteen months. Vorderman's second marriage was to management consultant Patrick King in 1990. There are two children from their marriage, Katie and Cameron. She separated from King in 2000 and has lived with Daily Mail columnist and PR consultant Des Kelly in London. The couple also have a house in Glandore, West Cork.She has written books on Detox diets. She is also a self-described sudoku addict since April 2005 when she wrestled a book of sudoku puzzles from her 12-year-old daughter Katie during a vacation in the Caribbean. Vorderman has written numerous books of sudoku puzzles with commentary.
Trivia
- Third-class honours degrees are often referred to as "Vordermans" by students in the UK
- Vorderman was a member of the "Nines Club" at Cambridge, so-named because members achieve a third in each of their three years of study (3+3+3=9)
- Vorderman was briefly a backing singer in the Leeds-based pop group Dawn Chorus and the Blue Tits, fronted by radio DJ Liz Kershaw.
- Vorderman is a member of MENSA.
Videos and Writing
- How Mathematics Works
- Carol Vorderman's Guide to the Internet
- Carol Vorderman's Guide to Maths
- Carol Vorderman's Detox Diet
- Carol Vorderman's How To Do Sudoku, 2005
- Carol Vorderman's Massive Book Of Sudoku, 2005.
External links
- [Carol's Bum - The Carol Vorderman Fan Site] - As spoken about on Frank Skinner Show
- [Another Carol Vorderman Fan Site]
- [Carol Vorderman's Books for Children]
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