Welcome to the Ladies of Liverpool podcast. Everything Liverpool. Everything the ladies. Ladies of Liverpool with Leanne Campbell. Oh, here we go.
This is the episode I think you've been waiting for. The one and only Miss Carol Vorderman on Ladies of Liverpool. So she's from just over the road. She's North Wales, isn't she, our Carol? So we all know we're going to bond with her massively. She's achieved so much and you know what she's not apologetic for her success and that's something we could all learn from
So hosting Countdown for like 26 years, we all grew up with Carol, didn't we? But she's done so much more. You know, she's a bit of an expert when it comes to detoxing. She can fly planes. She hosts the Prize of Britain Awards every single year. and this girl knows exactly how you live life to the fullest. You're going to love her. She's brilliant. It's Carol Horteman. Lovely to speak to you, Miss Carol Vorderman. Where do we find you right now?
I'm in my home in Bristol at the moment. So I'm a Southwest girl right now, but I started obviously life up in North Wales. So really in my heart, I'm a kind of North Wales northerner. If that makes any sense to anybody. Yes, that's why we love you so much. It's definitely your North Wales roots. that we all bond with so i follow you on all your social media pages and i can't speak to you without asking what your secret is you're so bloody gorgeous and glamorous
Can you reveal to us Scousers who are reaching a certain age? I've just turned 40. How old are you, Carol? I'm 60. My goodness. Honest to God, Gail. You are working it. What's your secret? Botox, probably. That's probably... It's not so much of a secret, is it? Everyone does it. Namely a person over the age of 50 on the telly that doesn't. Exactly. And even in our road, I mean, everyone you know gets Botox.
It's quite funny, you know, because when you talk about it to people in the industry, they go, yeah, and that's like, and? It's not what I'm here to talk about at all. But that's very kind of you to say so, because what I love about it Liverpool and Manc is that People dress up and they make an effort. And it's fair because it's not quite like that in a lot of other places. And I love that. Whenever I go up to Liverpool or the Northwest generally, it's like people, you know.
enjoying dressing up enjoying showing do you know what I mean it's like I love that I don't have anybody enjoying anything basically but I really like that and I like the girls are like encouraging about each other and they're like enthusiastic because that's one of the great gifts of life isn't it just be enthusiastic whatever it is that you're doing be enthusiastic about it
You are, you're so right. So tell me about how a little girl from North Wales becomes a TV icon. So we're talking MBE, you were co-hosting Countdown for 26 years. How does that even happen? I think a lot of luck and quite a bit of hard work. So I was born in 1960. I was born in Bedford.
My father was age 14. He was having an affair. He told my mum as soon as I was born with a 16-year-old. And so my mum left with me, the baby, and my two... older siblings so it's like my brother and my sister are kind of 10 years older than me and um when she went back home to where she'd been brought up in prestatin yeah in north wales obviously And her uncle allowed her to rent this flat for a pound a week back then.
And so we all grew up there, but she was a single parent. My father never had anything to do with me. He used to see my brother and sister, he used to come and see them, but he would have absolutely nothing to do with me until I was in my 40s. Why was that kind of... Did you ever work out why that was? Well, I've gone past the point. You get to an age and you think...
Well, I'm never going to find out why. I think what it was was that eventually he married the girl that he'd had the affair with, eventually, years later, and they had the children. And I think... around there this is the only um i've never said this before actually but the only reason that i can see in my head is that they must have told people around there that i maybe wasn't his and la la la see so that was his I think it was probably her jealousy
of me as the baby it's a bit weird but it's a big rejection you know when you're growing up when your father comes and takes your brother and sister out but not you it's like oh so that was uh All of that. But I always knew that I had to kind of do something to get out of this situation. And my mum remarried when I was about nine to, I called him my dad. I absolutely loved him for everything my father wasn't, my stepfather was.
And it was loud Italian. He swore every third word and laughed all the time. He was a builder. He lived in Denbigh. So mum and I moved to Denbigh. And I always went to school. I was brought up Catholic, so I left footer. So I always went to the Catholic little schools in Rill. And then my mum kept leaving my stepfather. So we'd be dragged off to the West End or wherever. We actually, the first time she left him, she dragged me off to live with the circus. What?
I know. Bizarre, isn't it? It's really like... Oh, Lord above. I think I was nine then. And he was... my dad as far as i was concerned and he was like uh it's like going from black and white to technicolor so he was this like loud mad italian and i still laugh every time i think of him i laugh Because I loved it so much. And, you know, he'd shout and shout, but laugh at the same time. He's one of those kind of characters. And suddenly it's like, wow, wow. And I was allowed to be loud.
I am loud. I know people don't think of me like that, but all my friends will tell me that I am. I've got it on good authority from the likes of Sam Quek, who just sing your praises. She's like, she's just a scouser, she's just a girl's girl. And here you get it from your Welsh Italian upbringing. I know, I could have been... scouser so easy do you know how I found out by ladies of Liverpool go on
Follow Scouse Ma on... Oh, yes. I wake up with Scouse Ma every morning and I crack up laughing. I'm lying in bed and I get my phone off his little table, you know, and I go... I've got to look at what Scout's mouth is saying this morning. And I crack up laughing. I know, she's amazing, absolutely amazing. And because she was on Ladies of Liverpool, I thought, oh, I'll listen to her now.
And then basically it's all my buddies that you have on, isn't it? It's like Sally Lindsay, the Sweeney, Sam Quek. Sam Quek, yeah, all your girls. I was delighted when you said you wanted to be on it. I refuse every podcast. You'll never find me on a podcast. And then I thought, because I've listened to all of them now. And I'm driving along and listening. No, I've got to be on this one. This is an absolute honour to be on Ladies and Ladies.
I love it. Honestly, when I put out that you were going to be on it, everyone was so thrilled. And I think you've got that special something where we all feel like we've been through things with you. It's like we only ever knew you on Countdown. And when you disappeared off Countdown, we were like...
What the friggin' hell's happened here? There's no Countdown without Carol bloody Vorderman. And we're very loyal and very territorial in this city. So I'd love to see the ratings of Countdown once you left. I think we all just turned it off.
Well, that's kind. But I had a great time there. I mean, with Richard Whiteley and stuff was just... you know we were together 23 years and then obviously when he died I parried on for a few years but it was never the same you know him I don't think not for me because he was just he started in the 80s you know we started 1982
On Countdown, we were the first show on. And he was really dead pompous then because he was... relatively young you know and um and he was a proper political reporter and he used to host which is a bit like uh look north would be but you know that kind of show local show and um over in yorkshire and he was like mr yorkshire he was dead pompous And it was only, I mean, it took a few years. And then I started doing the letters as well as the answers to the numbers games.
And I said to him once, he used to wear these bloody awful jackets. Do you remember he used to wear those jackets? And I said to him on air about his jackets and after the show he came. And he says, how dare you say? And he really went up.
and um yeah you can't imagine him doing that and I went no oh for goodness sake you know I'm not going to stop I'm not going to stop saying it look at them but laughing and then he just started laughing and then when he kind of accepted that I could burst his bubble then everyone kind of loved him then you know because he was laughing at himself really
And he loved it. He loved to do that. And then it just kind of grew from there because he could just look at me and give me that eye, that face, or I'd look at him and burst out laughing. And it was... You know, they're very, very happy years. But it doesn't matter how much money you've got. I mean, it does. But, you know, it's not about that. It genuinely doesn't. It's about how much you laugh with people.
And the older you get, the more you realise that. And, yeah, you can have intellectual conversations here, there and everywhere. But, you know, it's like I've even got friends, you know, a lot of friends who work at NASA. couple of astronauts as well, and all of that. Wow! Yeah, and you can talk about, obviously, space and some really, really intelligent things, but it's the laughing...
And I get them to do stuff that they wouldn't do otherwise, you know, and the screaming and all of that, that's the gift of life, isn't it, you know? Yes, yeah. I love that. Ladies of Liverpool. Do you know what, Carol? We have loads of lads of Liverpool that tune into this.
And they're quite open about it. They'll tweet me and they'll say, you know, I'm not a lady of Liverpool, but I listen every week and I subscribe. And I love to hear what these girls have got to say. I think this is going to be music to all areas. They're going to think they'll stand a chance with you now. the funny scousers, they're going to be like, that's it, I'm sliding into her DMs. And that's it, me and Carol for life. You're very welcome.
Are you single at the moment, Carol? Is there anyone in your life at the moment? Anyone? No, I am firmly single. look I've been married twice badly obviously because it's the past tense but I like I think what it is is I'm so independent and it is something that
You know, when I've had boyfriends in the past that they sling at me like an insult. You're not romantic. You're so independent. You know, it's like because if somebody says, like if you said to me, oh, I've got a party on next week, Kazari, come in. And I'd go, yeah. Why would I have to check with someone first? Do you know what I mean? I kind of... I couldn't love you anymore listening to this. I'm like, oh, she's my spirit woman. You're just, honestly, you're just one of us. But it's true.
I think women often, and you'll have seen this even more than me, women who do well, who are successful, they often feel they need to shrink themselves to please the other half so they don't intimidate them. Do you see a lot of this, Carol?
I have seen a lot of that, yeah. I like just deciding what I'm doing on the spur of the moment. And I like going, oh yeah, I like that person. Oh yeah, come on, let's go and either, you know, get... it's kind of that's how or if I just want to stay in bed all day I'll stay in bed not that I ever do but you know what I mean or if I think right all right well I'm not in lockdown times but I'm going off and I'm going to do this this weekend
I don't want to check in all the time because I was single parent. So I brought up the kids, you know, totally by myself financially and everything. And then my mum. lived with me. She died four years ago and she lived with me all through my adult life and I employed her from when I was 25, you know, so I've had dependents. And now, the first time in my life, because kids are older, even though my boy is still at home, because of lockdown, you can't go to university physically.
It's like the first time in my life, Leanne, that I can literally do what I like without responsibility. And boy, am I making the most of it. Yes. Yes. I knew you had a spring in your step just over lockdown. I was watching your videos and your posts on Twitter and stuff like this girl just knows how to live life. Ladies of Liverpool. Everything Liverpool. Everything for ladies.
tips be then for anyone listening now who feels like they need a bit of a zhuzh? Maybe they haven't got close girlfriends or family relatives that can give them a little zhuzh up. What would your words of advice be if they've recently left a partner or they've changed their job and they're just not feeling themselves? I would say, and this is my greatest tip in life, if someone or something... Makes you feel uneasy or down because people and things are either drains or radiators, in my view.
And even if it's watching the news, even if it's something that just makes you feel uneasy or there's a friend or a boyfriend or whatever, you're thinking you're starting to question it, drop them. Basically... Drop them. Yes. Drop them as soon as you can. Every activity, every person who's like a bit of a bad messenger or a bit of a, drop, drop, drop, drop.
And what you're left with is only good things. And that is honestly, I mean, sometimes you can't drop them because, you know, you might be related or whatever, but you can see them less. You can talk to them less. You can do all of that. That honestly. is my best piece of advice ever. Do you know what? That is priceless. And I think, I only know from turning 40, and I know people talk about life begins at 40, but you all of a sudden, and it is like a shock to the system.
You stop giving a shit about what people think. And you're more inclined to do what makes you happy. If someone's a mood hoover in your life, you're like, oh, you've got to go. You can't be here anymore. You're doing me at it. Exactly. And I honestly, honestly, honestly, and that could be, you know, male-female relationship, female-female relationship, whatever it is, it's just... You are, I believe, only here once around, right? And by hell it goes quickly. So why are you going to waste?
emotion and time and stress and so on I don't know anyone when you look into you know people's lives especially celebrity lives anyone who's on TV you see they they move on from something like countdown or a big you know soap opera or something they've been a part of for such a long time and more often than not you don't see much of them again but you have taken off literally taken off so you've got your pilot license tell me about this
In fairness, I was very lucky because I owned a fortune. So I became financially independent. And I have no embarrassment saying that because as a woman, why should you be embarrassed if you're successful? Which is another thing that people try and make you feel guilty if you're a successful woman. And I've worked hard, came from nothing.
And I worked hard and I was lucky and I did those things. But financial independence for me, because I never had a home and it was always being taken away from me. So when I graduated, mum left my stepfather. for the final time. And we ended up literally living out of a car. So I was 20 then. So, you know, I know what it's like to be at that end. And the financial stability doesn't half help. So when the whole countdown thing.
happened and i stopped on campground and i wasn't dependent on it and i think that's part of you know you have to look back to people's childhoods to see where their drive comes from and you know i that was really my thing so what's all i've done since then really is do the things that i enjoyed doing at the time education is a big thing for me obviously math science tech and stuff which is the flying
But like I have an online math school and in the first lockdown we went free. We're normally about a pound a week and subscription. We went free and I was teaching half a million primary school kids during that time. Two of those kids were my kids, Carol. My two kids signed up to that in the first lockdown. Oh, brilliant. Yes, it was huge. I'm still teaching half a million, but mainly through schools because we have a schools version.
So it's about 5,000 primary schools or something like that that use my system now. to be honest Leanne is I'm 60 now and it's about giving back now so I'm doing setting up a foundation and I've given a lot to you know like my old school in real And, you know, where half the kids are still on free school meals and so on. And that's really where my kind of drive is rather than, I do a bit of telly now, but I only do the bits that I really like. And I do Radio Wales.
It's BBC Radio Wales on a Saturday. You do? How did that come about? I imagine you were a guest and they just went, right, keep her, lock her in, give her a mic, she's bloody brilliant. Yeah.
I only do the Saturday, but it's about just having a laugh, isn't it? You know, I used to work seven days a week and I'm not making out that I'm better than anyone else. It's just a fact. But when you're a single parent and you're doing seven days a week and you're looking after your elderly mother and you're doing all that. it takes a lot out of you and and now it's just no i don't need to do it financially i don't need to do it so therefore
I'm just looking after myself. I'm just doing those things that give me joy. And the radio, oh my goodness, I'd never done a radio show before. Obviously, I've been on one, but I'd never actually hosted one before. And I started about two years ago. I fell in love with it. with it because you have to wear your makeup, you know. Yeah, no one's looking at you. Yeah, I know.
I can't believe it now. I've got like cameras in the studio and you think, oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Didn't sign up for this. Do you find, and I bet you any money you've got into this, like... in a similar way as me because you've got one of those personalities where do you find a lot of your listeners now almost feel like they're your friends so they'll message you with like really personal information or ask you really
deep questions that your mates would ask you and there's a moment where you think i don't know you i'm scared of saying the wrong thing but you almost feel like you know them because you've become a little family We used to have that on Countdown less than much because, you know, there wasn't social media back then. We always used to say, and I do feel that on the radio, like regulars, but also because we throw out a couple of questions every week.
looking for daft dancers really oh my god because so people know what you want if that makes sense but we have such a laugh and great guests on it and everything and great music I just love it. You see, I think anything, it's like talking about, you know, talking about my stepfather, you can probably tell, my dad in Denbigh.
I've got a smile in my voice. Talking about Richard White, I've got a smile in my voice. Talking about the radio, I've got a smile in my voice. Talking about Old Countdown, I've got a smile in my voice. And those are things that you want, aren't they? You think back and all you can do is smile.
That's good, isn't it? Do you know what? I feel like you've come on this show and there's a purpose to it. Not just for us to obviously love you more than we already did. I feel like we need to set ourselves a little challenge. So every woman listening to this and you fellas as well. Think you need to grab a pen and a piece of paper and be true to yourself. Be really honest with yourself and decide what's working for you and what's not. And if you can cut that out of your life and just...
Deal with the things that put a smile in your face, like Carol says. If it puts a smile right in your face, right in your cheesy grin, cling to it and love that the most and don't waste your energy on the other stuff. It's absolutely true, Leanne. It's like... You know, I say to girlfriends or relationships and they go, oh, you know, I'm after this job and blah, blah, blah. And they start worrying about the competition. And I've never worried about competition in my life.
It's different if you run in the 100 metres at Missio's Olympics, different thing. It's a wasted energy that. It's kind of, well, be your best version, as they say nowadays. Be that person. Ladies of Liverpool. Everything Liverpool. Everything for ladies. We found out then so far.
that there are sexy Italian crazy fellas in Rill, which we didn't realise, so we'll all be jumping the train to Prestaten as soon as we get a chance looking for one of those, because he sounded like a dream. You lived... With the circus for a time. And that you're literally just living your best life right now and we should all take a leaf out of your book. Honestly, my 50s were my best.
decade so far because of that set that kind of freedom in my head really so oh my lord i couldn't add the stories i could tell you We're just scratching the surface, aren't we? And you've got to head off and do some work. And there's so much more. So we're going to get you on for another episode. We're going to do an hour with you at some point. Fingers crossed. We'll record it live in the Hilton with loads of champagne in Liverpool City. Ah, yeah! Yeah!
We'll invite everyone along to have a little listening as well. You are a dream. I can't thank you enough for being on the podcast. Carol, you're gorgeous and just keep being you and inspiring the rest of us. Oh, thanks, Anne. I mean, genuinely.
You know, growing up in Rio, obviously, Liverpool is a big part of your life. And I should have married a scouser, really, shouldn't I? I'd have been all right. I can sort that for you. I can have that signed, that contract to you by the end of today, 100%. Not that I ever want to get married again. Quite happy, Diane. But anyway, maybe. Loads of love to you, Carol. Thanks so much. Lots of love, darling. Bye, Leanne. Thanks for listening.