IT ALL ADDS UP FOR CAROL

I’ve adored Carol Vorderman since I was a teenager. I’ve told you in these pages before how I was a bit of a maths nerd when I was younger and weirdly – well, at least among my friends – I looked forward to maths class every day. I got no end of slagging for my enthusiasm which is why I was so happy when Carol appeared on TV screens on Channel 4’s Countdown. Her look was brilliant, she was clearly a cool chick, yet she was a maths nerd too. My admiration for her hasn’t dimmed in the years since. I think it’s rather fitting that she’s the cover star in our special beauty-themed issue, as I think she’s aged brilliantly. She’s still a stunning looking woman and admits to having had ‘tweakments’ but she’s aged quite normally for someone in the public eye. Most women who have long careers on television feel the need to stay looking ‘young’ but the truth is, after a certain age, you have to accept that having the visage of someone in their 20s is not going to tie in with either the rest of your body or your lifestyle. In fact, heavy aesthetic work can be incredibly ageing. Another thing I love about Carol is that she’s not afraid to give her opinion, even if it sometimes brings her negative publicity. She has got involved in political matters at the very highest level and has even called out her old friend Michelle Mone for her role in the PPE scandal in Britain. Her social media is incredibly entertaining too. With no intentions to simply fade into the background now that she’s left regular TV, she still posts from the many events and launches she’s invited to. She often wears tight leather trousers – making the most of that double-winning Rear Of The Year – and revealing tops, or low-cut sequinned dresses, blissfully ignoring the disgusting comments that often brings her way. I’ve further admiration for her admission that she has five ‘special friends’ rather than a permanent partner, as she’s found this is the system that works for her. In short, she lives life exactly how she wants to, with no thought given to how others think she should behave. To me, that sounds like far more fun than trying to grow old gracefully. Her goal in life is, she says, ‘to be happy’– you don’t have to be a genius, maths or otherwise, to know that that’s all any of us really wants.

Enjoy the issue.