Carol Vorderman told a packed fringe event at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool that being in the city felt like “coming home”. Speaking to journalist Carole Cadwalladr at a session on the new media landscape, the broadcaster reflected on her North Wales upbringing, her early career in television, and her long-standing ties to the North of England.
She said: “So I grew up in Prestatyn, which you all know. And in North Wales I went to state school and was a free school meals kid in Rhyl all my life.
“If you don’t know [Rhyl] in Wales, it’s a third Scouse, a third Manc and a third Welsh.
“So I feel as though I’m partly coming home, coming back to Liverpool, but through that and then I started obviously on Countdown in 1982 and I lived in Leeds for a long time.
“I’m not anti, but I am absolutely not a London person.”
Carol also recalled her early days in TV, when Liverpool was a regular fixture in her schedule.
She said: “I used to come to the Albert Dock once a week along with Lily Savage to be on This Morning when it first started with Richard and Judy.
“And I say all this; it’s not about the history of television but we made Countdown at Yorkshire Television in Leeds for 20-something years.”
As Carol has aged, she mentioned that she cares less about making TV appearances, particularly after departing from her weekly show on BBC Radio Wales in 2023, following her violation of BBC guidelines due to vocal criticisms of the government on social media.
She said: “I think the key thing is Gary Lineker has made a fair bit of money.
“I’ve made a fair bit of money. I’m 60, coming up to 65.
“I don’t give a monkey’s if I’m on the telly again or not, so it gives me a freedom.
“It’s a bit like, you know, when you become a pensioner, you go or a woman in postmenopause goes, ‘I don’t care what people think anymore.’
“Compared to when you’re in your 20s or your 30s or even your 40s.”