BBC Breakfast weather star Carol Kirkwood had stepped down after more than 25 years to spend more time with her husband
Carol Kirkwood presenting on her last show on Wednesday(Image: BBC)
Carol Kirkwood, a familiar face as a BBC weather presenter and best-selling author, often recognised for her curvaceous figure and candid discussions about weight loss goals. The BBC Breakfast presenter stepped down from her weather role on the show on Wednesday after more than two decades in the role.
But she previously explained how she managed a dramatic transformation taking her dress size to a “size eight” in some outfits. She told how in early 2025, she was hit by a “terrible” illness that resulted in her dropping approximately one and a half dress sizes.
The 63-year-old experienced severe food poisoning which not only led to significant weight loss but also prompted a total re-evaluation of her lifestyle. The ordeal fundamentally altered both her attitude towards food and her overall perspective on wellbeing, reports the Mirror.
On Wednesday, the celebrity presented her final weather forecast with plans to devote more time to her husband, Steve Randall, whom she married in 2023. She had previously shared how their schedules meant they were “like ships that pass in the night” due to her early morning work commitments.
In an interview with OK magazine last year, she described how the food poisoning incident reshaped her daily routine. She said: “Afterwards, I just ate two slices of toast for two days and I wasn’t hungry.”
The presenter went on to say: “I’m a snacker. I love chocolate, a glass of wine, crisps, and I thought, ‘Right, you don’t need all this food’. Now I eat when I’m hungry rather than just eating because I can.”
The celebrity kept her exact weight to herself, joking at the time that it was “a state secret”, but she did admit to losing “probably a dress size-and-a-half”. She shared that she now comfortably fits into a size 10, occasionally an eight.
She said: “I’ve got lots of clothes from years of doing telly. When I couldn’t get into them, I put them away. Now I can. It feels like I’ve got a whole new wardrobe, but I don’t. It’s old clothes that I’m wearing again.”
Carol revealed she’s found the secret to maintaining a balanced diet. She commented: “I’ve done every single diet going but now I’m not depriving myself of anything. If I want a piece of chocolate, I’ll have it, but then I actually don’t. It’s like somebody’s flipped a switch in my head.”
She detailed her daily routine, which starts at 2.45am. She added: “By 9.30am, if I’m a bit peckish, I’ll have an apple or a banana, then, after my shift, I get home and eat whatever the dickens I want, perhaps a toasted pitta with rocket, tomatoes, sweetcorn, peppers and chicken. In the evening, I might have another pitta with hummus, or some peppers with hummus and, because I’m eating this way, I’m not hungry between meals any more.”
The star was swift to dismiss speculation that she had been taking weight-loss injections, saying: “I have had a couple of emails saying, ‘It’s obvious you’re doing this.’ Each to their own. If somebody wants to do that, I’m not going to judge them – it’s their bodies, their life – but I’m glad I’m doing it this way,” she insists.
When she revealed her decision to leave the BBC earlier this year she explained the heartfelt reason behind her choice to presenters Sally Nugent and Jon Kay. She said then: “I love my job, I’ve loved working at the BBC, but I love my husband more than my job. More than everyone, I should say.
“We only got married a couple of years ago and we’re ships that pass in the night so I’m so looking forward to [spending more time together]. The future is rosy and the time is right, absolutely right for me to go.”
Following the start of her career as a presenter on the BBC News channel, Kirkwood became a well-known figure on BBC One, working as the main weather presenter on BBC Breakfast since 2010.
Beyond providing daily weather forecasts, she frequently presented the weather from different locations including Wimbledon, the Chelsea Flower Show and Royal events. She has also provided reports for The One Show and demonstrated her dancing abilities on Strictly Come Dancing in 2015, reaching week eight with her partner Pasha Kovalev.
