Carol Kirkwood reveals why she REALLY left BBC Breakfast

Steve Randall retired as a serving police officer after his 50th birthday last year. And he turned to his wife, everyone’s favourite breakfast weather presenter Carol Kirkwood, for a serious chat about the rest of their lives.

‘We weren’t getting any younger, either of us, and especially me,’ says Carol, who will be 64 next month. ‘There were so many things we wanted to do, mostly travel. So, best to get on with it.’

But that would mean hanging up her microphone, and it was a hard decision to make. ‘I’ve so enjoyed my time at the BBC; I’d been working there for 28 years. I love my job. But in the end, I love my husband more. And now we’ve got this great big, wide world opening up ahead of us, and while we’re still both fit and healthy, we’re really looking forward to exploring it.’

Was there a lightbulb moment that made her decide it was the right time to leave? A cloud passes over her habitually smiling features. ‘Yes, when we lost Steve’s elder sister Jan last year after a short illness. She was older than him but younger than me. It made us realise that old age isn’t guaranteed.’

No prizes for guessing what she’ll miss most about the job. ‘Oh, the people,’ she says, without hesitation. Apart from presenters Sally Nugent, Jon Kay, Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty, there are her fellow weather forecasters – Matt Taylor, Darren Bett and Ben Rich among them. ‘And then there are all the behind-the-scenes folk who have become friends down the years.’

One of the drawbacks of working such punishing hours has been the complications involved in letting her hair down with mates who might be working different shifts. ‘But that’s another thing that’s about to change. I’ll now be flexible so I can arrange to meet up with who I like when other people can see me. I’ll be able to fit in with them.’

What she won’t miss is setting her alarm for 2.45am, having gone to bed at 7pm the previous evening. ‘That’s not a natural sleep pattern,’ she says. ‘However disciplined I’ve been, I still suffered from a permanent, mild form of jet lag.’

So, the last day finally rolled around on April 1. There were tributes from ex-colleagues such as Sophie Raworth, Susanna Reid and Sian Williams, as well as comic legend Paul Merton and cycling hero Chris Hoy.

Then Carol was taken by cab to 10 Downing Street to meet Larry the cat, ‘a wee dreamboat’, while Larry’s (temporary) owner Keir Starmer popped up on screen with a heartfelt thanks. ‘You’ve been a staple every morning with that sunny disposition,’ he said.

Back in the studio she was treated to a new poem read by Succession actor Brian Cox. Her final forecast was accompanied by a downpour of tears. ‘The alarm clock went straight into the bin on April 2,’ she grins. ‘The trouble is, I’m still waking up at 2.30am.’ But she’s not complaining. ‘I can turn over and go back to sleep or give Steve a bit of a cuddle.’

Telling her bosses, BBC Weather head Adam Bullimore and editor of BBC Breakfast Richard Frediani, known as Fredi, wasn’t easy. ‘But they were lovely. They said how sad they’d be to lose me but they understood.’

The BBC has a reputation for sidelining female presenters as they get older. Was any pressure put on her to move on? ‘Absolutely not. The decision to leave the BBC was mine alone. The time is right. Steve and I want to start a new chapter together.’

She was dry-eyed throughout, but ‘the tearful bit was when I first mentioned it on television at the end of January. Sally and Jon called me over. As I sat down I looked across at Sally and saw her eyes filling with tears. That immediately made me choke up. She’s a good friend; we’ve been through thick and thin for well over 20 years. So saying goodbye was much harder than I thought.’

Carol was astonished at the reaction. ‘It wasn’t just colleagues but across the BBC there was an outpouring of congratulations tinged with sadness. I also received literally hundreds of emails and cards and letters and gifts from members of the public.’ She’s too modest to say so, of course, but this was sparked by the affection in which she’s held, her cheery screen presence brightening even the dingiest forecast. With a bit of cajoling, she admits, ‘Well, I do tend to look on the positive side of things rather than the negative.’

And family and friends? ‘“About time!” is what they said. Now we can meet for lunch or go to the theatre; we can do things together.’ And Steve? ‘He’d left the decision entirely up to me. He didn’t try to influence me one way or the other.’ When she told him she’d made up her mind, he simply said, ‘That’s great! Now we can start a new chapter of our lives.’

So where are they off to first? ‘Italy. It’s a country I love. And we did a cruise last year round the Caribbean, which was fabulous. You’d go to sleep at night and then wake up in, say, Barbados the next morning or St Lucia. So I’d like to explore in greater detail.’ Might they invest in a camper van? ‘Oh, I don’t think so. I like a flushing loo and a nice shower. There’s no way I’m changing a chemical toilet.’

How does Steve feel about having a famous wife? ‘He doesn’t think he’s got one, and nor do I. I know he’s proud of me but he keeps it all in proportion. If I’m ever stopped by a member of the public asking for a selfie, he’ll offer to take it. He’s his own man.’

What’s particularly endearing about Carol is her ability to laugh at herself. ‘I take my job seriously,’ she says, ‘but not myself.’ This has stood her in good stead when it’s come to on-air bloopers.

There was the time, mid-broadcast in 2014, when a dog relieved itself behind her. At the Chelsea Flower Show in 2021, she was presenting with a dog called Flash. ‘It was Press Day, so all the gardens were pristine prior to being judged. Flash was on a lead which I didn’t dare let go because of all the mayhem she might cause. I thought the camera would move away from me. Not a bit of it. Flash took off at such speed that I was face-planted, something lovingly recorded for the viewing public to see.’

Most famously of all, there was the exchange between Carol and the late, much-loved BBC Breakfast presenter Bill Turnbull during a segment with two measuring jugs of water. ‘One contained the amount of rainfall we should have had, the other contained the amount we’d actually had,’ she explains. ‘Bill introduced the item by asking, “Kirky,” – he always called me Kirky – “are you going to repeat your experiment for us?” To which I replied, “Yes, I’ll have my jugs out again in 15 minutes.” Bill was spluttering so much he was unable to speak; Mishal Husain had to rescue him.’

She may no longer be brightening our breakfasts, but can she imagine popping up on TV in the future? ‘I hope so, but I’ll have to be asked.’ There was a rumour she might be on the next Celebrity Traitors. ‘I can honestly say no one’s talked to me about it. And I have a confession: I’ve never watched it, which probably makes me the only person in the country. But in my defence, that’s because I’ve always been in bed by then.’

And if she were asked to take part? ‘I’d certainly give it some thought.’ With that open, trusting face, she’d have to be a Faithful. ‘Aha, wouldn’t it be interesting if they chose me as a Traitor?’

There is one reality show that she’d happily agree to. ‘I’d love to take part in Race Across The World. I’d be in charge of the budget, Steve would be chief Boy Scout looking after logistics. It would be such fun.’

What she wouldn’t go into, she says, is the celebrity jungle or the Big Brother house. ‘They’re just not my kind of programme and I certainly wouldn’t want to eat unmentionable parts of a kangaroo.’ What about Celebrity Bake Off? ‘I’m not really a cook. Steve’s the cook in our house. He’s always interested in experimenting.’

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You don’t get far in conversation with Carol without Steve’s name cropping up. They married in December 2023 – and yes, she says when pushed (although not very hard), love is lovelier the second time. Her first husband was businessman Jimmy Kirkwood. There was no dramatic bust-up in the marriage, which ended in 2008, it just ran its course, she says.

But it’s not easy divorcing if you have a public profile. ‘I still had to be smiling Carol on screen. I found it a real challenge. I’d come off-air – we broadcast from the Blue Peter garden in those days – go to the Ladies, have a good cry, and then reapply my eye make-up before stepping in front of the cameras again. Work kept me going.’

She’s the sixth of eight children, and would have loved a family of her own, but it never happened. ‘No cause was ever discovered for our unexplained infertility,’ she says. But she adds, ‘I couldn’t have achieved half of what I’ve done if I’d had children at home.’

She certainly wouldn’t have had time to write five novels, unapologetic romances set in glamorous locations, which have effortlessly nipped up the bestseller charts. Her latest, Meet Me At Sunset, will be out in paperback in May. Her sixth novel, The Christmas Invitation, is due out in October.

‘I shall continue to write a book a year until they stop asking,’ she says. ‘I draw inspiration from everywhere I’ve visited, everything I’ve seen and read. I’m a particular fan of Freida McFadden’s psychological thrillers. She can’t write them quickly enough for me.’

With all this new free time, is there anything else she wants to do? ‘Learn to play the guitar. But who knows what’s round the next corner? We think we’re in charge of our own destiny but it’s just not true. For anyone who’s seen the film Sliding Doors, your path can take the most unexpected turn. It was always my ambition to have a brood of children, but that wasn’t to be. So although that is a great sadness, I refuse to wallow in it. And just look at the privileged life I’ve been lucky enough to lead.’

For Carol Kirkwood, the outlook is unremittingly sunny.

You can follow Carol on Instagram @realcarolkirkwood and on X @carolkirkwood