Carol Vorderman has been honoured with the Siân Phillips Award for outstanding contribution at this year's Bafta Cymru ceremony, held at the ICC Wales in Newport on Sunday, Oct 4. The broadcaster described feeling "fantastic" to receive the accolade.
Career spanning over four decades
Vorderman, 65, from Prestatyn, has become one of British television's most familiar faces since her debut on Countdown in 1982. Her career has since spanned programmes including Loose Women and Have I Got News for You.
Beyond television, she has chaired a UK government taskforce on maths education and received an MBE for services to broadcasting in 2000. Her previous awards include two wins of Rear of the Year, which she jokes was "one for each cheek", and best game show assistant.
Inspiration from Esther Rantzen
Ahead of the ceremony, Vorderman told WalesOnline how her career began in an era when the only women on television were "dolly birds", "newsreaders", or "Esther Rantzen". She said watching Rantzen, who died earlier this week, made her believe she could also succeed in television.
Vorderman recalled seeing Rantzen "striding through the studio" at age 21, which made her feel "I can do that" while dreaming of a broadcasting career.
Welsh television booming
Vorderman expressed delight at the current state of the Welsh television industry, describing it as "thriving" and "booming". She noted that when she was growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, there was no Welsh television until S4C launched as the first Welsh language channel.
"It's wonderful because obviously, I am Welsh and when I was growing up in the 1960s and 1970s there was no (Welsh) television. S4C started and that was the first Welsh language channel," she said. "When I come back now and work in Wales it's thriving, it's booming. I love that for young people."
From Countdown to campaigner
Vorderman's rise to fame began at age 21 as a maths whizz on Countdown. Her mother spotted an advert for a woman with good maths knowledge and applied on her behalf. The show launched Channel 4 in 1982, and Vorderman ran the letters and numbers board, amassing a legion of fans over 26 years.
She has since fronted Loose Women, The Pride of Britain Awards, Stars and Their Lives, Tomorrow's World, Mysteries With Carol Vorderman, and Better Home. She also joined Owain Wyn Evans to learn Welsh for S4C's 2020 show, Iaith ar Daith.
Growing up as the youngest of three children with a single parent, Vorderman attended a comprehensive in Rhyl before gaining a place to read engineering at Cambridge.
Vorderman said: "I'm the luckiest woman in the world. From being a little girl in Prestatyn who knew Mum couldn't afford any Christmas presents again this year, I could never have dreamed of the life that TV has given me. After 44 years on the small screen, receiving this award is truly the icing on the Welsh cake. Thank you, BAFTA, a thousand times."
