Category Entertainment News

Carol Kirkwood, 62, of BBC Breakfast, has revealed the heartbreaking justification she was made to give up her dream because she acknowledged it was a “source of heartbreak.”

BBC Breakfast favourite Carol Kirkwood has long been a familiar face on our screens, brightening up our mornings with her warm smile and reliable forecasts. But behind the sunshine exterior, the 62-year-old weather presenter has quietly weathered storms of her own – including the heartbreak of a dream she’s had to let go.

In an exclusive interview with OK!, Carol opened up about the emotional pain of not having children – something she once deeply hoped for. “I always wanted to have children. That was my dream,” she admits. It comes after Sharon Osbourne breaks down in tears at Ozzy’s funeral in heartbreaking scenes .

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The star, known for her chirpy demeanour and professional poise, reveals that she even looked into fertility treatment before the costs became overwhelming. “It was a source of heartbreak, but we tried and failed.”

The Scottish-born presenter, who grew up in a big family as one of eight siblings, has channelled her love into being an incredibly devoted auntie. “I love them all incredibly,” she beams, referring to her 15 nieces and nephews, as well as several godchildren.

Despite that particular chapter never being written, Carol has found happiness in other areas of her life – both personally and professionally.

After her 2008 divorce from ex-husband Jimmy Kirkwood, a former field hockey player, Carol focused on her career and rebuilt her life with grace. She spent years quietly keeping her love life under wraps, but in 2022 delighted fans when she announced her engagement to long-term partner Steve Randall, a former police officer turned businessman. The pair now live in the Buckinghamshire countryside and recently tied the knot in a private ceremony, with Carol sharing glimpses of the joy on social media.

Professionally, Carol has enjoyed an impressive run at the BBC, having joined the broadcaster in the late 1990s. She became a regular on BBC Breakfast and quickly established herself as the nation’s go-to weather expert. Her warmth, expertise, and genuine connection with viewers made her a beloved household name.

In addition to her work, Carol wowed audiences with her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing in 2015, partnering with professional dancer Pasha Kovalev and charming viewers with her grace and humour. More recently, she’s turned her hand to writing, publishing several romance novels that have earned glowing reviews and flown off shelves.

She claims that being able to recover from heartache has improved her as a writer and person. When you’ve been open and said, “I think you’re great, but romantically, it’s not going anywhere, but you know how it feels,” she says, “You know how it feels when someone doesn’t love you any more and moves on,” in the same way that you probably have done to someone else.

“When you’re heartbroken, you cry a lot, you feel sorry for yourself, and you think you might as well spend your entire life on your own, but you don’t,” says one woman. You emerge from that. You develop.

She now hopes that other women who are suddenly navigating midlife alone are encouraged by her happy ending. When I divorced, I did date other people, and a friend of mine said, “You need to find yourself,” and I was wondering, “What? ” I am aware of myself. I am aware of who I am. However, I didn’t date anyone because I was just enjoying myself out with my friends for a while.

Despite her accomplishments, it is obvious that the absence of children still occupies a tender spot in an otherwise loving life. Carol has embraced it with all respect and dignity.

For the first time since going public, Kerry Katona and her new boyfriend Paolo Margaglione have been pictured together, but a body language expert claims they look tense together.

Kerry Katona may already be facing issues in her relationship with hunky new beau, Yorkshire-born fitness trainer Paolo Margaglione, after snaps of the pair in Ibiza seemed to show them in a tense exchange. The photos of the pair on the White Isle – their first couple’s trip – confirmed their romance.

But a source claims that, while they’re totally “smitten” with each other, Kerry, 44, is nervous about putting yet another relationship in the public eye – and, with Celebs Go Dating about to hit screens, it could already be causing issues between the lovebirds.

“Kerry is being very cautious with this romance,” they claim. “She has been very wary about going public with Paolo and it impacting their relationship. She’s been down the route of high-profile, public relationships before and she doesn’t want anything to ruin things this time.” It comes after Cat Deeley found moving back to the UK ‘really hard’ before split from Patrick Kielty.

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Kerry and father-of-two Paolo, 33, are thought to have met during the new series of Celebs Go Dating, set to air next week. However, Kerry has remained resolutely tight-lipped on her new relationship.

But with each high and low of her previous relationships played out in public, our source claims Kerry is worried to go down the same path as the past. “Kerry’s worries have caused some tense moments as she doesn’t want any exterior drama getting in the way. But Paolo isn’t overthinking it – he’s just really happy to be with her. He doesn’t see the problem and is telling her not to worry, they’re great together and should just enjoy what they’ve got.”

Body language expert Adrianne Carter thinks the couple’s relationship may be sparked by the tension that may be at play in the background, despite the couple’s love-up expressions in their holiday photos. The top half of Kerry’s body is leaning away, which is frequently a sign of disagreement; perhaps they’ve had a little bit of a row or a bust-up because Kerry’s body is slightly angled inward of Paolo’s.

She appears to be ready to disengage her hand, but he appears to be holding her hand more possessively and in a more dominant position with the hands. Her head appears to be swaying or arguing something because of how she tilts her head. Both of their expressions have a tense quality that doesn’t appear to be relaxed.

However, our source maintains that the route of Kerry’s stress could just be the strength of her feelings for Paolo and a strong desire, after so much heartache in the past, to make this work. “Kerry loves being in love – she’s trying to do this the right way. They’re smitten with each other and can’t believe they’ve found one another. They just don’t want anything getting in the way.”

The new couple have also had to face some outside pressure, having come under fire after Paolo’s ex-girlfriend Jessica Smith publicly claimed he was dating her when he signed up for the show, alleging he was solely looking for fame with his TV stint.

Our source adds that Kerry’s loved ones also have concerns. “Friends and family are worried she’s jumping in a bit fast and should maybe take a break from men. But she’s very happy and determined to make it work with Paolo,” they claim.

However, Paolo and Kerry, who recently completed a fourth boob job, refuted the accusations and have been dating since the show’s premiere earlier this summer.

Before splitting after two years of marriage in 2004, Kerry was married to Brian McFadden, with whom she had two daughters, Molly and Lilly.

She went on to wed taxi driver Mark Croft, who she welcomed Heidi and Max with, before their split in 2010. And in 2014, she tied the knot with George Kay, the same year they welcomed daughter DJ. George passed away in 2019, two years after the couple split.

Kerry then found love with Ryan Mahoney, who she’d met on a dating app. The personal trainer popped the question in 2020, but the pair never married and split last November.

However, our source claims that Paolo has given Kerry her back. She believes that this is the real deal. It means a lot to her, really. Hopefully, there won’t be any more turbulence until this time.

According to a source, Tina O’Brien, who is dating Adam Fadlé after her divorce from Adam Croft, may be thinking about getting married.

When Corrie star Jack P Shepherd tied the knot with Hanni Treweek at Manchester Cathedral, all eyes were on the happy bride and groom. But another star of the Manchester-based soap, Tina O’Brien, 41, also attracted her fair share of attention, making her first public appearance at the star-studded nuptials with her new man – and a source claims to OK! that she could even be thinking about tying the knot herself.

The mum-of-two seems to have found love again with interior designer Adam Fadlé, 38, after splitting from her husband of seven years, Adam Crofts. And the pair couldn’t have looked more loved up as they attended Jack’s wedding alongside a host of fellow cast members such as Lucy Fallon, Samia Longchambon, Alan Halsall and Jayne Danson – even going in for a passionate kiss at one point.

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A source at the wedding told : “There was no mistaking they were an item on the day. Tina looked very much smitten with Adam. She looked radiant and everyone that saw them could see how besotted with each other they were. They were all over each other”. They added, as it emerged Tina packed on the PDA at her co-star’s wedding: “Tina dotes on him – she loves that he’s very calm and is a real gentleman, in every way. She’s head over heels. This is no flash in the pan relationship, they’re getting serious.”

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The Weatherfield favorite is reportedly “besotted” with her new boyfriend and is evening considering tie-the- knot once more, claims our mole, who was inspired by friend Jack’s fairytale nuptials.

“We’ve already been discussing marriage,” he said. There could be wedding bells at some point, but given her marriage to Adam isn’t working out, they may seem quite the U-turn since they both adored Jack and seemed incredibly enthralled by the wedding fervor. Tina is eager to try marriage again.

It’s believed (subs – source in The Sun) the pair met through friends in their hometown of Cheshire, and have already been on a string of dates together and that Tina – who plays Sarah Platt on the Cobbles – is ‘totally mad’ for her new beau.

Their cosy debut as a couple came not long after Tina was seen letting her hair down and enjoying the single life, after it was revealed last month that she and her husband had called it a day, following weeks of speculation.

Although the separated couple are known to be on good terms for Beau, 10, their very different lifestyles, with Tina claiming to be enjoying a showbiz party and Adam preferring to live quietly, have had a toll on their marriage.

Tina and her estranged husband first met at a coffee shop in Manchester in 2011, the couple tying the knot in a surprise New Year’s Eve ceremony in 2018. But split rumours began to emerge when she shared a snap of herself at former co-star, Colson Smith’s leaving party.

Taking to Instagram, Tina – just weeks after going on holiday without her husband – donned a stunning red mini dress and without her wedding ring markedly absent on her ring finger. Friends subsequently confirmed that the couple had split, and that after moving house at Christmas had decided to live separately for the time being.

Tina also shares a daughter Scarlett, 16, also an actress on Waterloo Road, with ex Ryan Thomas, who recently returned to Weatherfield as part of Sue Cleaver’s (Eileen Grimshaw) exit storyline.

The two soap stars first dated in 2003, welcomed their daughter in 2008, and they ended their union in 2008. They still co-parent Scarlett, who frequently appears on both Mom and Dad’s social media accounts.

Their relationship, however, has been notoriously strained, though in recent times it’s believed the pair have decided to put their differences aside to support teenage Scarlett’s budding career.

Back in April, a source close to the family told : ‘Ryan and Tina have had their rows and disagreements over the years, but now, they are joining forces and pulling out all the stops, as they can see that Scarlett is going to be a superstar.”

This could be a whole new chapter for Tina because her relationships seem to be more harmonious with her ex, her career is on the up, and a potential wedding are on the cards. No one else deserves more long-lasting joy.

Carol Kirkwood, a host of ABC Breakfast, has revealed how her life changed after a “terrible” illness earlier this year, which caused her to lose weight and change her outlook.

At the start of the year, Carol Kirkwood was hit by a “terrible” bout of food poisoning, which triggered a lifestyle transformation that changed not just her eating habits, but her entire outlook.

I ate two slices of toast for two days before going to bed. I enjoy snacking. I enjoy chocolate, a glass of wine, and crisps, and I thought, “Right, you don’t need all this food.” Instead of eating only because I can, I now eat when I’m hungry.

While she refuses to divulge exactly how much weight she’s lost (“my weight is a state secret”) Carol admits in an exclusive chat with OK! that she’s now “probably a dress size-and-a-half” smaller and fitting comfortably into a size 10, and sometimes even an eight. “I’ve got lots of clothes from years of doing telly. When I couldn’t get into them, I put them away. Now I can. It feels like I’ve got a whole new wardrobe, but I don’t. It’s old clothes that I’m wearing again.” It comes after Sharon Osbourne breaks down in tears at Ozzy’s funeral in heartbreaking scenes.

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The BBC weather presenter and author’s fresh approach to health isn’t about restriction but balance. “I’ve done every single diet going but now I’m not depriving myself of anything. If I want a piece of chocolate, I’ll have it, but then I actually don’t. It’s like somebody’s flipped a switch in my head.”

At 2.45 am, her daily schedule begins breathtakingly early. “At about 9 o’clock in the morning, I’ll have an apple or a banana and then go home and eat whatever the dickens, possibly a toasted pitta with rocket, tomatoes, sweetcorn, peppers, and chicken,” I said. I might have another pitta with hummus in the evening or some peppers with hummus, but I might not feel hungry in between meals because of this.

Some people mistakenly believe Carol must also be using weight-loss injections in an age where they are increasingly popular as a quick fix. It’s obvious you’re doing this, I’ve received a few emails saying. Exactly like their own. I’m not going to judge someone if they want to do that because their bodies and their lives are both affected, but she insists that they should do it.

Carol, 63, credits her cheerful outlook to her “happy upbringing” in Morar, where her “upbeat” hotelier parents Callum and Nancy raised. She is brimming with positive energy. And she is especially upbeat when we speak with her husband, a 51-year-old police officer, the day after her summer break in Cornwall. While away, the couple reconnected with their technology by undergoing a tech detox.

“Like everyone else, I live by my phone and it’s been so busy recently that it was a case of, ‘Let’s reconnect, switch off the outside world and enjoy some quiet time,’” explains Carol, before confessing that she didn’t exactly play by the rules. “It’s really hard. One time I did secretly switch it on when Steve had gone to bed,” she chuckles. “Just a quick check to see what was happening!”

Carol is now back in full professional mode after the holiday. Before returning to the south to promote her fifth novel, Meet Me At Sunset, she takes a train to Manchester to arrive at BBC Breakfast‘s Salford Quays studio at 4am.

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She claims that Steve’s antisocial working hours at the Metropolitan Police, combined with her busy career, are keeping them in the honeymoon zone. We don’t see much each other during the week, they say. We made up our minds that we only see each other for an hour and a half of the day on Monday through Thursday, so we value our time together. It is truly priceless.

Joking that “it’ll be a real shock” when she and Steve finally enjoy limitless time together in later life, Carol quashes speculation about imminent retirement. “Well, I’m 63 and I’m not going to be still doing this when I’m 73, but I’ve got no plans to retire just yet so it won’t be for a while,” she insists.

Since joining BBC Breakfast in April 1998 after stints on BBC Radio, The Weather Channel and HTV West, Carol has seen many Breakfast faces come and go. However, some remain unforgettable, including co-presenter and friend Bill Turnbull, who died in August 2022 at the age of 66, just four years after a prostate cancer diagnosis.

He frequently appears in my photo memories, and I think, “Oh, Billy! ” I’ll always miss him and fondly recall the experiences we shared on Breakfast, in terms of memories and times,” says Carol. He once caused me to laugh so hard. I adore the way that he was both very naughty and very proper.

Bill found “real interest” in Carol’s blossoming relationship with Steve. He asked, “How’s it going, he?” What’s the newest? Any ring formations near the horizon? I’d say, “Billy, no, no.” Not yet. It’s too soon! ‘”

Carol met Steve at a work function in 2021 and they became friends before finding love. She announced their engagement live from the Chelsea Flower Show in 2022, eventually tying the knot in December 2023, 15 years after the end of her 25-year marriage to businessman Jimmy Kirkwood.

Surviving heartbreak, she says, has made her a better writer – and person. “You know how it feels when somebody doesn’t love you any more and moves on, in the same way that you’ve probably done to somebody else, when you’ve been honest and said, ‘I think you’re great, but romantically, it’s not going anywhere,’” she says.

“When you’re heartbroken, you cry a lot, you feel sorry for yourself, and you think you might as well spend your entire life on your own, but you don’t,” says one woman. You emerge from that. You develop.

Now, she hopes that her own happy ending is giving hope to other women who find themselves suddenly navigating midlife solo. “When I got divorced, I did date other people, then somebody said to me, ‘You need to find yourself’ and I was thinking, ‘What? I know myself. I know who I am.’ But I went for a period without dating people, because I was just happy going out with my friends.

When we were both single girls, Sue and I used to travel a lot. She recently split up as well. We would drive across the channel, cross the channel, book a hotel room, and wander the beach. We had dinner at a music festival the night before. We assumed that our dreams were being lived. You simply discover a new life that is also good.

Not having children is another heartache Carol has negotiated. I’ve always wanted kids. She claims that she had a dream about trying to get pregnant until the cost became too high. We tried and failed, but it was a source of heartache.

Carol is one of eight siblings, has 15 nieces and nephews, plus godchildren, and relishes her role as an auntie. She smiles, “I love them all incredibly.” So with her love life looking good, another novel already in motion and a decade since she finished in 10th place alongside Pasha Kovalev in the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing , are any other high-profile TV shows tempting her?

“I would love to do Race Across The World,” replies Carol without hesitation. “When I say this to some of my friends, they say, ‘But would you want to go on an overnight bus for 18 hours across India?’ Not as my main holiday, but as an adventure? Absolutely!”

A PR expert has suggested that the Love Island star may be losing her “golden girl” status after being criticized for being “out of touch.”

Molly-Mae Hague broke down in tears last week after being slammed, yet again, for being ‘out of touch’ by fans. Now, a pr expert tells OK! that they believe the golden girl’s popularity is on the wane and her star power could ‘all be over’.

The 26-year-old, one of Love Island ’s biggest success stories with an estimated net worth of £6m, had claimed on of her vlogs that she’s done ‘nothing fun this summer, despite taking several lavish holidays posted on social media. Most recently, she headed off on a family trip in her £86K motorhome, after which she confessed she felt ‘overwhelmed’ and had a ‘breakdown’, when her daughter Bambi, 2, who she shares with partner Tommy Fury, was overtired and screaming for hours.

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While some sympathised with the challenges of travelling with a little one, others were quick to criticise Molly-Mae for complaining, pointing out her affluent lifestyle and frequent luxury vacations, labelling the influencer and entrepreneur ‘tone deaf’.

Our mole claims that such posts really upset the mum-of-one, and the negativity can bring her down. “She does get upset that she’s constantly in the firing line from the public, but she also doesn’t understand why because she doesn’t feel like she’s done anything wrong. She works hard and is proud of what she’s achieved.”

The mum-of-one hit headlines recently when she complained in a YouTube video that she hadn’t done anything fun over the summer months. “I said to a friend the other day, that I’m going to make it to the end of summer having not done one fun thing,” she said to camera. “I haven’t a life. That’s not good is it. Summer will end and I’ve not done one fun social thing.”

Some fans, however, were quick to point out several of Molly’s outings this year; including trips to Dubai, a holiday to Disneyland, a city break to Budapest, their recent motorhome holiday to the Isle Of Man and attendance at high profile events such as Wimbledon, before which she spent thousands of pounds at Christian Dior to wear to the tennis tournament.

Hitting back at the trolling she has received in a recent video, Molly claimed that she ‘doesn’t’ care’ about the backlash, but said it does make her ‘nervous’ to talk openly with fans. “I don’t care who tells me I am out of touch with reality or all this stuff that’s going on on TikTok at the minute, I don’t care I’m not going to not talk about it.

Because in the previous video I said some things that I probably could have said differently, and despite the motherhood issues I’m currently addressing, I feel like I don’t want to talk about anything controversial anymore.

Never one to shy away from her struggles, Molly has admitted to having a tough time with Bambi in recent months. She said in one YouTube video, “I’m having one of those toddler mum days, where I question, ‘am I actually cut out for this?’

She hasn’t eaten in like three days because she is refusing to eat, she says, “every single thing I try and ask her to do.” It’s really challenging for me to do it. Molly acknowledged that it’s “tough” and that Tommy seems to take parenting more seriously.

In light of the recent backlash, PR expert Lynn Carratt believes Molly Mae is in serious danger of losing her “golden girl” status. She states to new that “some of the things she’s saying come across as being out of touch with reality.”

“Molly was the sweet, girl next door on love island, and she had a true love story with Tommy which people really bought into and was very likeable. Men fancied her, girls wanted to be her. She came across as an inspiration. Now, she’s flying all over the world on private jets and sadly, it’s just not relatable anymore.”

Lynn continues: “In the last year or so, it seems like she’s been falling from grace – her days at the top of the showbiz pile could be over.”

She should be able to conceal her money and lifestyle because she has earned it, but we are also experiencing a cost of living crisis. People don’t always want to see politicians flying in private jets across the world.

As it does for all working parents, it is really difficult for Molly to be a working mother. And it’s encouraging that she’s open about her difficulties. However, she needs to consider a PR strategy to resurrect her support.

Molly rose to prominence on Love Island in 2019, where she met Tommy Fury, also 26, and came second place with the boxer, whose brother is boxing star Tyson.

She eventually served as the company’s creative director while working for Beauty Works and founding her own fake tan company, Filter By Molly Mae, after the show, and signed a significant deal with e-retailer PrettyLittleThing. She then left PrettyLittleThing to form her own fashion label, Maebe, which she co-founded last year.

Now, she has a hit Amazon Prime docuseries currently filming for season two and resides in a multi-million pound home in Cheshire with her and Tommy’s two-year-old daughter Bambi. The couple, who got engaged in July 2023, announced their shock split last summer, before getting back together earlier this year.