Carol Vorderman

Carol Vorderman at The Royal Society's 350th Anniversary Convocation at the Royal Festival Hall in London

Credit: Sooty and Shelfie

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03:12 • Carol Vorderman, Carol Vorderman Events, Carol Vorderman Pictures • 0 comments

Painted in two sessions in Bristol where Carol is based. I loved chatting with Carol about her views on life: she has such clarity of vision. The background depicts both the building works at her new home and echoes her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Engineering.

Credit and Copyright: Tess Barnes
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02:49 • Carol Vorderman, Carol Vorderman Pictures • 0 comments

Carol Vorderman is interviewed by Baroness Susan Greenfield at the Ri for the continuation chat show series where prominent figures from both the scientific and cultural worlds are interviewed.

Listen to Carol Vorderman Podcast

from the audio archive Wednesday 21 January 2009.

Listen to Maths Education Podcast

from the audio archive Wednesday 17 February 2010.

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02:42 • Carol Vorderman, Carol Vorderman Audio, Carol Vorderman Events • 0 comments

Delighted students from Dorchester took to the stage with Carol Vorderman after winning a top award.

They were presented with a Sustainable Schools Award for the work of the Thomas Hardye School’s Student Voice group.

Former Countdown presenter Miss Vorderman handed the trophy to the quartet, Thomas Hardye assistant headteacher Kaye Chittenden and ICT technician Mike Faulkner at the South West Teaching Awards.


Thomas Hardye pupils Douglas Mair, 16, Steven Rowe, 16, and Caroline Good, 15, represented the Student Voice group at the Assembly Rooms in Bath.

They were joined by Puddletown St Mary’s Middle School pupil Antonia Pullen-Clarke, 12.

She nominated Student Voice for the award after the group gave a presentation at her school assembly about carbon emissions.

Antonia said: “It was amazing.

“I was pleased that they won and I intend to join the Student Voice group when I start at Hardye’s in September.”

The Student Voice gave presentations at local schools after deciding they wanted to take part in the 10:10 project to reduce carbon emissions by 10 per cent in 2010.

They also linked up with Jurassic Coast team and the Duchy of Cornwall as well as a school in Calgary, Canada.

Douglas said: “I was very pleased that the school’s and students’ work has been recognised.”

Steven said: “It was amazing. Carol Vorderman was really nice. We got her autograph for the maths department and intend to frame it.”

Caroline added: “It reflects really well on the school and shows that what we have been doing has been working.”

The group received a silver Plato award in the shape of a profile of the great philosopher.

The Sustainable Schools Award was the last to be announced – and all of the pupils went up, whereas previously it had been just teachers on stage.

Mrs Chittenden said: “We were all really excited and nervous.

“It was brilliant to win and the important thing is that the students deserved it.

“They put in all of the effort to win the award.”

She added: “I think the reason that we won was because our activities have involved more than just the school.

“We have done so much outreach work with other schools and have been embedded in the wider community.”

Now they are through to the national finals, which are due to be held in the autumn term, with gold Plato Awards up for grabs.

The Student Voice group got the 10:10 message across to schools in the Dorchester Area Schools Partnership by doing a roadshow and asking pupils to sign up to a pledge.

They gave PowerPoint presentations and showed artwork about the damage being done to the planet.

Credit: DorsetEcho
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01:32 • Carol Vorderman, Carol Vorderman News Article, Carol Vorderman Pictures • 0 comments

TV star Carol Vorderman has opened a new visitor centre at Brunel's ss Great Britain.

The Bristol-based maths expert cut a red ribbon outside the entrance to the new building yesterday.

The new area includes a shop and ticket office, and is the first phase of a new £6 million education and conservation centre next to the historic ship, which will be called the Brunel Institute.


It is on the ground floor of a new building which, from the outside, is designed to look like Brunel's original steam engine factory, which was built in the 1830s to build the ss Great Britain.

On entering the centre, visitors are greeted by a 20ft desk made of oak and larch, traditional British shipbuilding materials, and by the large glass windows looking on to the ship there is a new model of a Victorian female passenger and her child, pulling his mother towards the ship.

Miss Vorderman, 49, who co-hosted Channel 4's Countdown for 26 years and has two children at Clifton College, was asked to open the centre because of her engineering background.

The former Cambridge engineering student said: "It is my honour to open the new centre – I am particularly looking forward to the Brunel Institute opening and I hope it will inspire young people to pursue careers in science and engineering.

"I have brought my children here a couple of times and it is always a lovely day out."

Colin Green, chairman of the ss Great Britain Trust, thanked staff and volunteers and said they were pleased to open on time and within the budget.

The visitor centre was designed by Alec French Architects, the team behind the ss Great Britain's glass "sea", and built with the help of a £140,000 grant from Viridor Credits, which gives money from landfill tax credits to environmental, conservation and community projects.

The Brunel Institute will house a world-class maritime library, a lecture theatre and the Brunel Archive, bringing together photographs and papers and plans from the ss Great Britain into one place for the first time.

Due to open this autumn, it also aims to encourage the public, particularly school children, to take an interest in science and engineering.

Credit: ThisisBristol
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11:16 • Carol Vorderman, Carol Vorderman Events, Carol Vorderman News Article, Carol Vorderman Pictures • 0 comments

The Bristol Zoo Gardens has launched a facility to conserve two of the world's most endangered frog species.

Former Countdown maths guru Carol Vorderman helped launch the AmphiPod, which is home to lemur leaf frogs and golden mantella frogs.

Both species are listed as "critically endangered".

At the launch, Vorderman showed she had a head for figures - by wearing a clingy, space-age dress.


Vorderman has become known for her dazzling dresses - she recently wore a tight frock by late designer Alexander McQueen with an optical illusion design which left onlookers cross-eyed.

And she is unfazed by the clinginess of her outfits. She said in an interview this week: "The Alexander McQueen dress I wore recently to an awards ceremony was figure-hugging, but so what?"

Credit: MSN and aidanzx
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22:07 • Carol Vorderman, Carol Vorderman Pictures • 1 comments

Author, businesswoman and Countdown maths guru Carol Vorderman, 49, went from frump to fab when she hit her 40s, but still hates shopping. She lives in Bristol with her two children.

As a teenager, I liked dressing dramatically. I used to make a lot of my own clothes, then dye them in a tub of Dylon.

Then, when I was 32 and had Katie, I put on a lot of weight, going from a size 8 to a 14/16.


Everything was ‘big’ back in those days — big hair, big shoulder pads, you name it. But I felt frumpy. I was always try­ing to cover my bum and thick waist.

As a working mum, my overriding memory of the Nineties was exhaustion, and after I had Cameron in 1997, I knew things had to change. So I went on a detox and dropped back to size 8/10.

I’m 50 later this year, and to hell with what other people think of how I look. The Alexander McQueen dress I wore recently to an awards ceremony was figure-hugging, but so what?

I accept my figure now. I’m big up top and bottom, and go in at the middle. For a long time, I couldn’t find a store or designer that really catered for my curves, but then Roland Mouret came along. His stuff is timeless, unfussy and classy.

I think Victoria Beckham’s range is one of the few making dresses and skirts that go below the knee, while still being fashionable. They’re not cheap, but I can still wear them years later without looking dated. It’s simple Forties styling.
Above the knee is fine if you’re in your 20s, but I don’t feel it’s overly appropriate at my age.

I don’t enjoy shopping, so I do most of it online at net-a-porter. I’ll maybe go to the shops twice a year.

I love an equal dose of colour, like red, and neu­trals and nude shoes make your legs look longer.

When I moved from Lon­don to Bristol almost four years ago, I had to rethink my wardrobe, as I’d look too ‘done’ walking around Clifton in one of my VB dresses. I aim for smart casual, with high-waisted jeans, black polo neck and cowboy boots.

The epitome of chic is effortless style, and as you get older, you realise the time spent fretting over outfits is time better spent elsewhere.

CAROL'S WARDROBE FAVOURITES

ROLAND MOURET GALAXY DRESS

This dress hangs about 3in below my knee, which is why it’s so flattering. I bought it when it first came out, and years later I still make it into the papers when I wear it. Having been on Count­down for so long, I learnt to gather classic pieces that could be mixed and matched easily.

ABERCROMBIE & FITCH RIBBED VESTS

These are great now that we’re getting into summer. They’re very thin, so I wear two together. They flatter my shape and are chic and simple — and, depending on the straps, can be quite sexy without being too overt. I wear them with everything.

JITROIS LEATHER TROUSERS

I’ve worn these for almost ten years. They’re stretch leather with a little zip at the back, so they’re more forgiving. If I want to go for a slightly dressier look than my jeans, I’ll put these on.

CELINE BOOTS

I live in boots, especially those with heels. These black ankle boots have a big platform, with a zip down the side and false lace-up detailing. They go with eve­rything. A close second favourite are my beige platform wedges from Nine West, with a sil­ver buckle. They cost only £19 and I always get compliments about them.

MONT BLANC SATCHEL

I don’t have a handbag fetish, like some people — I might buy one a year, if that. This satchel is a lovely fabric and I use it for business meetings. It was a chance purchase. I’ve learnt that if you see something you really like, get it there and then because it might be gone when you go back.

TURQUOISE STRAPLESS BAFTA DRESS

The storm my dress cre­ated in 2000 was hysterical! Kilroy dedicated an entire show to it, and headlines screamed: ‘Thirty-nine and wearing that dress!’ I thought it was fabulous. I felt like the devil per­sonified — how dare I wear something that short. But I was more amused than upset at the reaction.

WARDROBE CHECKLIST

* TOPS/T-SHIRTS: I probably wear only about 10 per cent of what I’ve got, if that. I tend to go for standard, short-sleeve tops, like at M&S, and keep them fitted, otherwise I look huge.

* TROUSERS/JEANS: I have 20 in total, but Iprobably wear only four or five of them.

* COATS/JACKETS: About 50 — but I only wear ten of them. I love my Joseph sheepskin winter coat. It’s like a toasty blanket — perfect for doing the school run on a cold morning.

* DRESSES: I must have 100, of which 30 are Roland Mouret and VB. If you find a label that suits you, stick to it! Herve Leger is great, too.

* SHOES/BOOTS: Maybe 150. I’ve just had a big clearout and got rid of 50. Shame that my daughter Katie can’t wear them. I love Louboutin.

* BAGS: Four nice handbags and ten evening ones that I’ve collected over the years.

Credit: Mail
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11:54 • Carol Vorderman, Carol Vorderman News Article, Carol Vorderman Pictures • 0 comments