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Carol Kirkwood Leaves BBC Breakfast for Retirement and a Life of Travel with Husband Steve Randall
After an amazing three decades at BBC Breakfast, Carol Kirkwood presented her last weather update. This 63-year-old presenter is casting a new path in her life as she dreams of taking a European tour with her much younger husband, Steve Randall, a 49-year-old policeman.
Carol has been intensely dedicated to her work for quite some time. However, now she is ready to begin a whole new chapter with Steve as they set off on their first voyage together. Just a few days ago, she became members of Instagram and disclosed that the thing she is most excited about after she retires is getting rid of her 2:45 a.m. alarm.
Wedding bells rang for the two lovebirds in December 2023, nine years since Carol, then divorced, met the housebuilder Jimmy Kirkwood. “Traveling a lot, we have lot of things in the pipeline, ” she remarked during her final on-screen moment.
Carol Kirkwood and Steve Randall Plan Their Retirement Together
Carol Kirkwood along with her partner Steve Randall are quite thrilled planning their life together after BBC Breakfast being set as her retirement point.
“We’ll probably be the ones having a laugh Matt says weather’s bad in the mornings! And then we’ll get all ready for a drive somewhere, ” Carol described their retirement days.
Steve as well expressed, “[Having Carol at home more] it’s definitely going to be the best! And the first thing to go is the alarm clock. That can definitely go!”
The couple tied the knot in December 2023 at Cliveden House, Buckinghamshire, and now sharing their home in Windsor.
Carol described Steve to House Beautiful magazine in July 2024 as “If he’s home, I’m a happy bunny. I don’t need anything else. He is tall, good-looking, kind, gentle, strong, funny, charming. He is a gentleman. He also cooks well. I could go on and on about Steve.”
Shortly before leaving the show, she was surprised by Steve, who handed her a large bouquet of flowers on behalf of the couple and the BBC team.
She decided to leave the show in January and bid the viewers farewell with tears on her face.
Carol Kirkwood Breaks Down in Tears Saying Farewell to BBC Breakfast
Carol Kirkwood was very close to tears when she officially announced her retirement from BBC Breakfast while making the announcement with her co-stars Sally Nugent and Jon Kay. Although she admitted her great love for the job, Carol also revealed that spending more time with her husband, police officer Steve Randall, was a priority for her now.
It was a very emotional moment for her last forecast as she couldn’t articulate herself clearly but the BBC colleagues’ very supportive video messages helped her to gather composure.
She shared her last studio moments with Sally, 54, and Jon, 56, flashing a smile as she gave the week’s weather forecast. After the program, Sally and Jon appreciated Carol for forecasting the weather not only in the studio but being a “Carol forecast” which the viewers would be used to even after her departure.
Carol was commended by Sally saying, “I don’t know if you know Carol, but you have changed the way weather is reported on television in lots of ways, whether you’re on the map or out on location, whether you’re meeting our viewers… You’ve been broadcasting from massive events over the years.”
Carol Kirkwood’s Goodbye Was a Touching Mix of Tributes and Tears
Carol Kirkwood looked back at some of the iconic live events she reported on, saying, “I’ve been very lucky to cover so many, things like The Chelsea Flower Show, Wimbledon, the poppies at the Tower of London, Royal Ascot, the list goes on.”
The BBC aired a poignant video tribute that featured a number of famous faces including Sue Barker, Vicky McClure, Paul Merton, Zoe Ball, Clare Balding, Chris Evans and Sir Chris Hoy, all expressing their good wishes to Carol.
The second tribute video was a compilation of Charlie Stayt, Louise Minchin, Sian Williams, Susanna Reid and Dan Walker, who described Carol as “lovely, kind and caring, ” a “ray of sunshine” and a “great friend.” They told how she “brought smiles to so much of the nation” and they “predicted that people would miss her a lot.”
Sally Nugent and Jon Kay gave Carol an unexpected gift of a message from Bryan Adams who thanked her for “all the great weather reports through the years, ” making her very surprised.
Carol Kirkwood’s Emotional Farewell to BBC Breakfast
“That was quite beautiful, ” Carol exclaimed after seeing the tribute videos. She also said, “It’s wonderful that we have made such brilliant friends. They are all really nice people.”
Jon Kay then shared with Carol some letters from the audience who were very moved and sad to see her go. Carol confessed that it was not quite real for her yet. “I’m denying it, and I bet I will show up on Monday…”
She thought about how odd it would be not to address the viewers or see the crew, both the ones in front of and behind the camera, not only on BBC Breakfast but also at BBC Weather. “It’s going to be something different and I’m going to miss everyone terribly.’
The three of them reminisced about Carol’s journey in the TV industry, from her first job as a production assistant at BBC Breakfast to being the regular meteorologist for thirty years.
Carol ended, “I’m going to do my best to get through this. This has been a forecast that I have known for a long time, but that still doesn’t make it any easier to present. After 28 years as a BBC weather presenter, I have followed storms, enjoyed sunshine, and sometimes made mistakes, now I am saying goodbye.”
Carol Kirkwood’s heartfelt goodbye to viewers
“I had no idea as I walked into this studio for the first time that my journey would be so long. At that time, the graphics were extremely basic, the maps rather cumbersome, and I had much fewer grey hairs than I have now…”
“That one thing that hasn’t changed is how being welcomed in your homes is such an honour and a privilege for me. Thank you for relying on me whether it was telling you about heatwaves or snow, to big national events and the everyday question of: ‘Do I need to take a brolly?'”
“Throughout all this, you have been the constant and I have never taken that for granted. I will really miss you… I owe you all…
“More than just a job, it has been a source of good memories for me, memories that I will treasure forever. I have also got to know people that I really value as friends.”
“Now, I want to try a new life after doing a little bit more with Steve and maybe watch the weather for a change without presenting it. Thank you for making me a part of your lives.”
Back in January, Carol sobbed when she announced her leaving, revealing that she “loved her husband more than her job.”
The Met Office-trained star became tearful when she said, “So, I’m going to leave, and it’s so difficult, really difficult for me to say this since I love my job so much.”
Carol Kirkwood’s Memorable BBC Career and Lighthearted Moments
“But it’s great, I don’t want to be coming in in my Zimmer frame and saying, ‘I can’t reach the Northern Isles anymore!'” Carol joked.
Throughout her BBC career, Carol has done much more than just pointing with a clicker. She has also been the main weather presenter of *BBC Breakfast* since 2010, but additionally she has filmed live from significant events such as Wimbledon, the Chelsea Flower Show, and Royal Ascot.
Her positive attitude has enabled her to find humor in the difficulties of live broadcasting that have included getting knocked down by dogs on a number of occasions and amusingly referring to dog-walkers at Greenwich Park as “doggers.”
Initially, Carol was a production secretary and also an assistant on BBC Breakfast before changing her major to meteorology. After working in consultancy for a short time, she went for an audition and got trained for The Weather Channel (US) for its British edition.
Thereafter, she trained with the BBC and the Met Office, and in 1998 she arrived at the BBC Weather Centre and soon was a regular face on BBC News and BBC Breakfast.
Carol Kirkwood’s Journey: From Personal Struggles to On-Screen Success
Carol Kirkwood’s vibrant personality and charm on TV have not only won her fans the length and breadth of the country, but they have also helped her earn several prestigious industry awards, as well as a big break in the public eye, one of which was her time on Strictly Come Dancing in 2015 where she and her dance partner Pasha Kovalev made it to week eight.
Originally named Carol MacKellaig, she tied the knot with a property developer named Jimmy Kirkwood but parted ways with him in 2008 after nearly 20 years together.
Going through the separation was a lot for her emotionally and, in fact, Carol confesses that there were times when she was shedding tears while presenting the weather. Nevertheless, she admitted to Radio Times later that the ordeal pushed her to become more outgoing.
“I discovered who I was after the divorce. I gave myself permission to do things and think, ‘Okay, I’m not going to refuse, I’m going to agree!'”
“I’m more courageous now, I’ve shared the skies with the Red Arrows, experienced a parachute jump with the Red Devils. If I were to look back, I probably wouldn’t have made those choices because I’d have thought, ‘Too risky!’ Now my mindset is, ‘You’ve really got to live your life!'”
