CAROL VORDERMAN MESSAGES

I am amazed and delighted to let you know that no less a personality than Carol Vorderman has agreed to try to answer our questions and messages!!!!!

From Wiki....

Carol Jean Vorderman MBE (born 24 December 1960) is a British media personality, best known for co-hosting the popular game show Countdown for 26 years from 1982 to 2008.



Early life
Vorderman was born in Bedford to a Dutch father and Welsh mother. Her parents broke up three weeks after her birth, and her mother took the family back to her home town of Prestatyn, North Wales, where Vorderman and her siblings grew up in a one-parent household. In 1970 their mother married Armido Rizzi, a native of Italy.

Vorderman was educated at the Roman Catholic comprehensive Blessed Edward Jones High School in Rhyl. At the age of seventeen she went to Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, in 1978, where she studied Engineering.

Vorderman did not trace the Dutch side of her family until 2007 (as part of the BBC genealogy programme Who Do You Think You Are?). It was only at this point that she discovered that her father Anton had been an active member of the Dutch resistance during the Nazi occupation. He died whilst the programme was being filmed. Her great-grandfather Adolphe Vorderman played a key role in the discovery of vitamins.


Dawn Chorus and the Blue Tits
Vorderman initially found employment as a graduate management trainee in Leeds, and in her spare time was briefly a backing singer in the Leeds-based pop group Dawn Chorus and the Blue Tits, fronted by radio DJ Liz Kershaw in the early 1980s. The group recorded such songs as a version of The Undertones' hit Teenage Kicks (coincidentally, one of the tracks Vorderman had to identify during the "intros round" when she appeared on Never Mind the Buzzcocks in December 2009). During 1984/85 she made regular appearances on the Peter Levy show on Radio Aire, appearing mid-morning to read a story for any pre-school children who might be listening with their mothers.

Countdown 1982 – June 2005

Vorderman's mother noticed a newspaper advertisement asking for a woman with good mathematical skills to appear as co-host on a quiz show for the fledgling fourth terrestrial channel and submitted an application on behalf of her daughter. Aged 21, Vorderman made her name on Countdown with Richard Whiteley from the show's inception in 1982 until Whiteley's death in June 2005. Initially Vorderman's only contribution to the show was the numbers game and she formed part of a five person presentation team. However, over the coming years the team was pared down and Vorderman's contribution increased.

After Richard WhiteleyIn June 2005, the producers of Countdown asked Vorderman if she wanted to fill the role of main presenter vacated by the recently deceased Richard Whiteley. Vorderman declined, and a search for a new presenter began while the show went into a four-month hiatus. In October 2005, Des Lynam replaced Whiteley and co-hosted with Vorderman. In January 2007 Des O'Connor replaced Lynam; Vorderman continued to co-host the show. Vorderman was a new type of game show hostess, revealing her intellectual ability by carrying out fast and accurate arithmetical calculations as part of the game. Her lasting success on the show led to her becoming one of the highest-paid women in Britain, earning £1 million per year, from all sources.

On 25 July 2008, after her 26 unbroken years with the show it was announced that Vorderman was stepping down from Countdown. She later said she had resigned after failing to agree terms with Channel 4 for a new contract, and it was reported that she had been asked to take a cut of some 90 per cent of her previous salary, estimated as £900,000. She had considered leaving the show when the original show's host Richard Whiteley died in 2005, but remained on the show when Lynam took over, and until 2008 when his eventual replacement O'Connor announced he was also to step down as the show's host. Vorderman later said that she had "put on a stone from the stress of being 'sacked' from Countdown". Vorderman and O'Connor both left the show in December 2008.


Final periodThe producers auditioned for Vorderman and O'Connor's successors. On 21 November 2008 it was announced that these would be 22-year-old Oxford graduate Rachel Riley and Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling, respectively.[12]

Vorderman recorded her last Countdown show on 13 November 2008 and it was broadcast on 12 December 2008. Both of her children were in the audience together with many of the previous guests from "Dictionary Corner". After the prize giving at the end of that show, Des O'Connor was presented with a bouquet of flowers by the show's lexicographer Susie Dent and Vorderman received one from Gyles Brandreth. She was too moved to complete her farewells. A special show, One Last Consonant, please Carol, hosted by Giles Brandreth and featuring Vorderman's highs and lows during 26 years of the show, was also filmed and transmitted just before her final Countdown appearance. After leaving Countdown she continued contributing to her column in the British magazine Reveal.


Other TV appearances
Between 1987 and 1989 Vorderman co-hosted BBC TV series Take Nobody's Word For It with Professor Ian Fells and was chosen to compère the world chess championship match between Garry Kasparov and Nigel Short in 1993. She also had a long stint presenting on CITV's facts and science show How 2 from 1990-1996. Vorderman has worked as a researcher and producer on many shows, specialising in science and educational programmes and has presented several other television programmes including the BBC's Tomorrow's World, but was dropped after she starred in a commercial for Ariel washing powder. BBC management claimed it was a conflict of interest and dismissed her from the show. Vorderman refused to submit to their demand citing numerous other BBC "stars" who had been allowed to advertise products at that time. Weeks later, the ratings had dropped dramatically and the BBC asked her to return to anchor the programme but she refused.

In 1999, having been offered a lucrative contract, Vorderman moved to ITV, going on to compère numerous television programmes including: The Pride of Britain Awards since year 2000, Stars and their Lives, What Will They Think of Next, Tested to Destruction, and the popular Better Homes, which began in 1999 and spawned a spin-off Better Gardens.



Vorderman was a newspaper reviewer on the last episode of Breakfast with Frost. She was also a guest on Top Gear, as the Star In A Reasonably Priced Car towards the end of Series 3 in 2003. In 2004 Vorderman appeared on the second series of Strictly Come Dancing and was voted off the show on the second show of the series.
In 2005, Vorderman beat off the other celebrities in ITV's Gameshow Marathon, winning the series. Vorderman appeared as a guest on Have I Got News For You on 14 May 2004, and hosted the show on 26 May 2006. She presented the Channel 4 entertainment show The Friday Night Project on 11 August 2006.

Between 2005 and 2006 she presented Sky One's quiz show, Carol Vorderman's Big Brain Game over two series that have since been repeated twice on the channel during 2007.

On 4 March 2010 Vorderman appeared on BBC One's Question Time following the announcement from Michael Gove, the UK shadow children's secretary, that she was to head the Conservatives' taskforce on mathematics teaching. Vorderman's appearance was heavily criticised in the media, with show host, David Dimbleby quoted in The Times as saying: “It lasts an hour, this programme...it felt like more to me.” In May and October 2010, she guest anchored ITV1's show Loose Women.

Since April 2011, Carol has regularly guest hosted Lorraine, most recently in June 2011.



Journalism
Vorderman has had newspaper columns in The Daily Telegraph, and in the Daily Mirror on Internet topics. She has written books on Detox diets. Her No 1 Bestseller was Detox For Life, produced in collaboration with Ko Chohan and Anita Bean and published by Virgin Books, which sold over a million copies.

A large number of school textbooks have been published under her name, chiefly by Dorling Kindersley in series such as English Made Easy, Maths Made Easy, Science Made Easy and How to Pass National Curriculum Maths



Commercial ventures
Vorderman also expanded her business ventures launching a number of sudoku products. In March 2007 she launched a brain training game called Carol Vorderman's Mind Aerobics together with BSkyB. Also in 2007, she released a video game for PlayStation 2 in the United States entitled Carol Vorderman's Sudoku.

In the autumn of 2008, soon after she completed her final regular Countdown show, Vorderman announced a new commercial venture in her own property development and sales company that would specialise in overseas holiday and retirement homes within the Caribbean, the Bahamas and Spain. Called Carol Vorderman's Overseas Homes Ltd she saw the company as a natural extension of her own experiences in buying and selling properties over recent years and was aiming at a target market of "families aged 35 plus". However, because of the international financial downturn the venture proved short-lived and during March 2009 Vorderman publicly withdrew her name from the firm, which suspended trading soon after.

On 2 March 2010, Vorderman publicly launched her new commercial venture of an online mathematics coaching system for 4 - 12 year old children under the name of the MathsFactor.



With Prince William

Personal life
Vorderman was first married in 1985 at age 24 to Christopher Mather, a Royal Navy officer and former rugby league international player, but the marriage lasted only twelve months. Her second marriage was to management consultant Patrick King in 1990 at age 29. Vorderman had two children, Katie (b.1991) and Cameron (b.1997), with King, but they separated in 2000.

After meeting at a Christmas party in 1999, Vorderman and Daily Mail columnist and PR consultant Des Kelly lived together in London from 2001, also using their other house in Glandore, West Cork, Ireland. After five years together, Vorderman and Kelly separated in December 2006, publicly announcing the amicable split in January 2007, but are now back together in Bristol according to reports.


Honours and awards
Vorderman was honoured as a Member of the Order of the British Empire in June 2000 for "services to broadcasting" in the Birthday Honours List. She was elected as an honorary Fellow of Bangor University in North Wales.

Vorderman was voted UK Female Rear of the Year in 2011.


Political activity
There have been persistent rumours that she is a supporter of the UK Conservative Party though she has not confirmed this. In addition, she is a frequent critic of the Labour Party's education policies. She agreed to head a taskforce established by the Conservative Party to look at the teaching of mathematics. David Cameron stated "Carol has got a passion for maths. We have all seen that on Countdown with her brilliant mental arithmetic and she is going to lead this task force so we can get the answers right” in referral to the plan.



Charity work
Vorderman is a patron of PC David Rathband's Blue Lamp Foundation and the Cleft Lip and Palate Association (CLAPA) (her older brother, Anton, was born with a cleft lip and palate). In 2005 she was the winner of Ant and Dec’s Gameshow Marathon. As part of its 50th anniversary celebrations ITV ran a series of the nation’s favourite game shows featuring celebrities competing to become Gameshow Marathon winner and raise money for the charity of their choice. As series winner Vorderman won £60,000 for CLAPA.

She appeared in a short film promoting 'Run for the future' which promotes Prostate Cancer awareness and a charity run held every year on the Bristol Downs to raise funds for the BUI prostate appeal.

Vorderman has taken part in the Great North Run on several occasions to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care. This was in memory of Richard Whiteley's sister Helen, who died of the disease

Hi, here as promised! x

Great of you to do this Carol! After being on Countdown for so long you must miss the programme, do you have any plans for something similar in the future?

During your years on television you must have had a few embarrassing moments.....please tell us a few!!

I am sure you must have visited Southampton.

Do you have any memories of visits you can tell us about please?

I love that you were voted Rear of the Year and I 100% agree with the award. Are there any stories you can tell us about that??

Hi

You have worked with a lot of handsome guys, who do you think are the dishiest?

Thanks for doing this.

Can you tell us do you like football? Do you support a team??

You always look so sexy and slim, does it come naturally or is there a secret to keeping that way?

Hi Carol

1 If you had not become a famous TV and radio presenter what job would you have liked to do?

2 What hobbies do you pursue?

3.You always look so well dressed in photographs, which colours do you think suit you best?

4 What car do you drive?

5 What would be your ideal car to drive?

6 What sort of music do you listen to?

7 Who are your favourite singers/groups (past or present)?

8 What are or were your favourite TV programmes?

9 What are your favourite films?

10. What are your favourite plays?

11. What are your favourite books?

12 Who is your favourite actor?

13 Who is your favourite actress?

14 Who is your favourite comedian /funnyman?

15 Do you have any pets?

16 What is your favourite meal?

17 What is your favourite drink?

18 Is there anything you regret not having done in your life so far and do you have any ambitions you hope to fulfil?

You must have been stopped in the street many times by people recognising you. Have there been times people thought you were someone else or any other amusing incidents when meeting members of the public?

Hi Carol

I see you were once a backing singer in a group. Have you ever sung solo on TV or radio? Ever made a record?

Dear Michael and friends here

Apologies for the delay, I am rather snowed under at the moment and so unfortunately can’t say for sure when I will have chance to look at the questions properly but hopefully I will find time at some point in the not too distant future.

Best wishes