Carol Kirkwood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carol Kirkwood
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Kirkwood in 2008
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Carol MacKellaig
29 May 1962 Morar, Inverness-shire, Scotland
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| Alma mater | Napier University |
| Occupation | Television presenter |
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Carol Kirkwood (born 29 May 1962) is a Scottish weather presenter. She was trained by the Met Office and works for the BBC. You might know her best from BBC Breakfast. In 2015, she was on the TV show Strictly Come Dancing. She finished in 10th place.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Carol Kirkwood was born Carol MacKellaig on 29 May 1962. She grew up in Morar, Scotland. She was one of eight children. Her parents owned hotels in Morar.
Carol went to Lochaber High School in Fort William. After that, she studied commerce. She earned a degree from Napier College in Edinburgh. This college is now called Edinburgh Napier University.
Becoming a Weather Presenter
After college, Carol started working at the BBC. She had different jobs there. She presented short shows on BBC Radio Scotland. Then she worked on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 4.
Later, Carol left the BBC for a while. She worked in other jobs. In 1993, she came back to the BBC. She trained to be a presenter. In 1996, she joined a channel called The Weather Channel.
When that channel closed, Carol trained with the BBC and the Met Office. The Met Office teaches people about weather. In April 1998, she joined BBC News as a weather presenter.
Carol's TV Career
Carol Kirkwood is a well-known weather presenter. She appears on many BBC shows. She gives forecasts on BBC News and BBC World News. You can also see her on BBC News at Six. She even presents weather for the Wimbledon Tennis Championships.
She is the main weather presenter for BBC Breakfast. This show moved to MediaCityUK in Salford in 2012. But Carol stayed in London. She presents the weather from there using a video link.
Carol also presented The Weather Show. She is a regular reporter for The One Show. In 2011, she helped present The Great British Weather. She also gave weather updates on BBC Radio 2's The Chris Evans Breakfast Show.
Carol has appeared on kids' TV shows too. She was a guest on CBBC's Hacker Time. In 2014, she was on Would I Lie to You?. In 2018, she had a small role on the soap opera Hollyoaks.
Strictly Come Dancing
In August 2015, it was announced that Carol would be on Strictly Come Dancing. This is a popular dance competition show. She was part of the 13th series. Her dance partner was professional dancer Pasha Kovalev.
Carol and Pasha danced many styles. They performed the Cha-Cha-Cha, Foxtrot, and Quickstep. They also danced the Paso Doble, Viennese Waltz, Rumba, and American Smooth. They were eliminated in Week 7 of the competition.
Personal Life
Carol Kirkwood was married to Jimmy Kirkwood. They later separated. In May 2022, Carol announced her engagement. She was live on BBC Breakfast at the Chelsea Flower Show. She married her new partner, Steve Randall, in December 2023. Their wedding was at Cliveden in Buckinghamshire. Carol lives in Bray, Berkshire.
Awards and Recognition
Carol Kirkwood has won many awards. She won the TRIC award for best TV Weather Presenter several times. She won in 2003, 2008, 2009, and every year from 2012 to 2017.
In 2015, she received a special award. Princess Anne gave her an Honorary Fellowship. This was for her "contributions to broadcasting." She received it at Inverness College.
TV Shows and Books
Carol has been on many television shows:
- BBC Breakfast (1997–present) – Weather presenter
- The Great British Weather – Co-presenter
- Hacker Time – Guest
- The Weather Show – Presenter
- The One Show – Reporter
- Would I Lie to You? (2013) – Guest
- Victoria Derbyshire (2015–2020) – Weather presenter
- Strictly Come Dancing (2015) – Participant
- Hollyoaks (2018) – Guest appearance
- The People vs Climate Change (2021) – Narrator
- Saturday Kitchen (2022) – Guest
Carol has also written several books:
- Under a Greek Moon (2021)
- The Hotel on the Riviera (2022)
- Secrets of the Villa Amore (2023)
- Once Upon a Time in Venice (2024)
