DEAL FOR HER FIRM’S PANTS
web
information started coming out about the gender pay gap in the BBC.
“What I was disgusted at was the arrogance of some of the people involved when it came to defending pay. I’m not naming any names but you can guess who I mean. I wanted to tell them to shut up.”
Carol, who has been married to former restaurant boss Alex Knight for 26 years, says none of her children – Christie, 22, Robbie, 19, and Jodie, 18 – want a TV career.
And despite growing up with a famous mother, she had no intention of letting them become spoiled.
She said: “If it was something they wanted to do, I would not discourage them but I am glad they are going down their own routes.
“None of the kids have a masterplan, which Alex and I are totally OK with at this stage in their lives. At some point in the near future, they will have to knuckle down. We won’t be their safety net forever.
“My husband and I have worked hard all our lives. I had a mortgage and pension plan at 21 and Alex spent decades running four restaurants.”
Carol is still fresh-faced, bright-eyed and has a figure most women half her age would kill for, which she says is the result of never dieting or going to the gym.
She added: “I own one pair of trainers and they are for walking the dogs, not for going to the gym. I have never been a gym bunny and the idea of working out gives me chills.
“People think I must really look after myself but I don’t. I have never smoked and hardly drink, which I suppose helps, and I can’t remember the last time I bought a bag of sweets.
“I have never been on a diet or watched what I’ve eaten. I wouldn’t even know where to begin counting calories. I think one of the reasons I have been able to maintain my body shape is because I have never messed up my metabolism with diets.
“I’ve had my teeth straightened, my thread l ine veins removed and lens replacement done on my eyes but that’s as far as it goes. I would never get anything injected into my face or lips.
“I’ve also been blessed with my health and have had no major scares. When I was younger, I used to get breast lumps. They were always non-malignant but I had to have them removed.
“I was always pretty relaxed about them and, now I’ve been through the menopause, I don’t get them any more – another plus side of the change of life.” Pretty Clever Pants, designed by Carol Smillie, www.highstreettv.com