Carol Kirkwood has hinted she could return to television just seven months after stepping down from her long-running BBC weather presenting role. The 64-year-old Scots presenter left the corporation in April after 28 years, ending her era on BBC Breakfast. While she has been enjoying a slower pace of life since leaving, she has revealed she would not rule out returning to screens if the right opportunity came along.
Open to TV offers
Speaking in the new issue of Best magazine, Carol admitted she would be open to working on television for "spells of time", depending on "what was offered". One programme in particular could tempt her back in front of the cameras.
The former presenter revealed she would love to take part in a certain BBC travel show alongside her husband, Steve Randall. Carol said it would be a "dream" for the couple to appear on Celebrity Race Across the World, which sees famous faces and their loved ones travel across different countries without the usual luxuries, taking on a series of challenges along the way.
Travel show dream
The programme sees teams race to reach a final destination using a limited budget, with one pair eventually crowned the winners. However, Carol joked that Steve might have one particular difficulty to deal with if they signed up for the adventure. She joked: "His problem would be getting me out of the toot shops. I'd be saying, 'Oh, look at this fridge magnet!'"
Carol became a familiar face to millions of viewers during her time at the BBC, having first joined the broadcaster as a production secretary before working her way up through the ranks. She eventually became one of the corporation's principal weather presenters, joining the BBC Breakfast team in 2010.
Emotional departure
Her departure in April came as an emotional moment for the presenter, who struggled to hold back tears as she shared the news with colleagues Jon Kay and Sally Nugent during a live broadcast. At the time, Carol explained that while she loved her job, she wanted to make more time for her husband after years of working around demanding schedules.
She told viewers: "I am going to be leaving. It's really, really hard for me to say this. I love my job. I love all of you guys, my weather colleagues, every department I work with, and, of course, all the viewers I've been so engaged with for many years. But it's great. I don't want to be coming in with my Zimmer frame when I can't reach the northern Isles anymore."
She also spoke about her excitement at having more time with Steve, explaining that despite being married, their working lives often meant they barely got to spend time together. "I'm going to be spending more time with Steve, my gorgeous husband, we have been married a couple of years ago but we are like ships passing in the night, so I'm so looking forward to doing that," she said.
Life after the BBC
Since leaving the BBC, Carol has been making the most of her newfound freedom and has previously spoken about how much she is enjoying life away from the early morning starts. She admitted she does miss aspects of her former job and the people she worked with, but said being able to organise her days around her own schedule has made a huge difference. "I'm living the dream, I'm loving it," she said. "I miss my job to a point, but I have so much freedom now, and I'm living to my timetable and my schedule rather than anybody else's - that's liberating."
The presenter and Steve have also wasted little time getting started on their travel plans, with the couple already visiting America for an Eagles concert and Italy for a summer getaway. They have plenty more destinations on their wish list, including Nashville, Graceland, New Orleans, the Taj Mahal and India's Golden Triangle, as well as a return trip to Australia.
