Carol Kirkwood, 63, drives off into the sunset with her toyboy husband, 49, as couple plan to spend her retirement travelling Europe – and finally ditch her alarm after 30 years at BBC Breakfast

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After 30 years of presenting the weather on BBC Breakfast, Carol Kirkwood gave her last forecast on Wednesday.

After an amazing 30 years on television, Carol is planning to retire and enjoy life with her husband, Steve Randall, who is 49. She’s looking forward to spending time relaxing and pursuing personal interests.

The popular 63-year-old presenter is planning to travel around Europe by boat with her partner, a police officer, after focusing on her career for many years.

Carol began sharing glimpses of her relaxed retirement earlier this year when she joined Instagram in January.

Oh my gosh, she’s finally getting rid of that awful 2:45 AM alarm! Can you believe it? She deserves all the rest in the world, and I’m so happy she’s going to get to just… relax and be with the person she loves. It’s everything she’s worked for, honestly!

They got married in December 2023, nine years after she finalized her divorce from property developer Jimmy Kirkwood.

‘Lots of travels, we’ve got lots of things planned’, she shared on her final on-screen moment.

I absolutely love watching Matt deliver the weather forecast in the mornings – especially when he predicts awful weather! It’s my signal to immediately suggest we jump in the car and go somewhere to escape it all.

Steve said having Carol home more often will be fantastic, and the first thing he’s getting rid of is the alarm clock – he doesn’t need it anymore!

She married Steve in December 2023 at Cliveden House in Buckinghamshire, and they currently live together in Windsor.

In a July 2024 interview with House Beautiful, she shared that her happiness comes from simply being with her partner when he’s home. She described him as tall, good-looking, and possessing a wonderful personality – kind, gentle, strong, funny, and charming.

‘He’s a gentleman. He’s good at cooking. I could wax lyrical about Steve forever.’

As Carol signed off from the show, her husband Steve came on screen with a big bouquet of flowers, sent with love from him and everyone at the BBC.

The TV presenter revealed in January, with an emotional announcement on air, that she was leaving the show.

Oh my gosh, you guys, it was so hard to watch! Carol Kirkwood was trying to tell everyone she’s leaving Breakfast and she was all choked up! She kept saying how much she loves her job, which we know she does, she’s a ray of sunshine every morning! But she wants to spend more time with her husband, Steve Randall – he’s a police officer, how sweet is that?! It’s just… heartbreaking, honestly. We’re going to miss her so much!

Despite receiving a heartfelt video message of support from her BBC colleagues, the presenter visibly fought back tears while giving her last weather forecast.

Carol appeared with Sally, 54, and Jon, 56, in the studio one last time, cheerfully telling viewers what the weather would be like this week.

After finishing her broadcast, she joined Sally and Jon on the sofa. They thanked her for giving them information a few days in advance, allowing them to continue providing a weather forecast – referred to as the ‘Carol forecast’ – even after she left.

Sally started by saying to Carol, ‘You’ve really transformed how weather is presented on TV – both when you’re showing viewers the map in the studio and when you’re reporting live from different locations. You’ve covered so many big events over the years, and it’s made a real difference.’

Carol mentioned a number of iconic London events, including the Chelsea Flower Show, Wimbledon, the Tower of London poppies display, and Royal Ascot, saying there have been many others.

The BBC followed this with a touching video message featuring well-wishes for Carol from other BBC personalities, such as Sue Barker, Vicky McClure, Paul Merton, Zoe Ball, Clare Balding, Chris Evans, and Sir Chris Hoy.

During another tribute segment, presenters Charlie Stayt, Louise Minchin, Sian Williams, Susanna Reid, and Dan Walker fondly remembered Carol, describing her as ‘lovely, kind, and caring’ and reflecting on her years of work on television.

The messages praised Carol, calling her cheerful and a wonderful friend, and said she had brightened the lives of many people across the country. They also expressed that viewers would be very sad to see her go.

Sally and Jon really surprised Carol by arranging a video message from Bryan Adams. He thanked her for providing wonderful weather forecasts throughout her career, which completely shocked her.

As the videos finished, Carol exclaimed how much she enjoyed them. She also shared how happy she was to have met such wonderful and genuine friends.

Jon shared some heartfelt messages from viewers for Carol, and she confessed it was tough saying goodbye to the weather presenter.

Honestly, it still hasn’t really sunk in that I’m leaving the show. I keep telling myself I’m in denial, and I fully expect to just walk in on Monday like everything’s normal!

It’s going to feel strange not being able to chat with our wonderful viewers, or see the amazing team working on both BBC Breakfast and BBC Weather – both those on camera and behind the scenes.

‘It’s going to be different and I’m going to miss everyone horribly.’ 

Oh my gosh, we were talking about Carol all morning! It’s just incredible to think about where she started – a production assistant on BBC Breakfast! And then, for thirty years, she was our resident meteorologist! Thirty years of brightening our mornings, honestly! It’s just…amazing to trace her journey like that.

She finished by saying she would do her best to deliver the news, even though she’d been expecting it for some time. She admitted it was still difficult to share.

After nearly three decades of forecasting the weather for the BBC – following storms, highlighting sunny days, and even making a few mistakes – I’m retiring.

I never could have predicted what the future held when I first started working in this studio. Things were much more basic back then – the graphics weren’t as polished, the maps were a little rough around the edges, and I definitely hadn’t started going grey yet!

What’s always remained special is the chance to share information with you in your homes. Thank you for your trust, whether it’s been about major events, daily weather updates, or even just deciding if you need an umbrella.

I’ve always appreciated you being there for me, and I truly never stopped. I’m going to miss you a lot, and I’m incredibly grateful for everything you’ve done.

This job has been more than just work; it’s given me lasting memories and friendships I truly value.

I’m starting a new phase of life where I’ll have more time with my family, and I’m looking forward to enjoying life a little more – maybe even just watching the weather instead of being on TV! Thanks for welcoming me into your homes all these years.

Oh my gosh, I’ll never forget January! Carol was so upset when she told us she was leaving, and it just broke my heart. She said she loved her husband more than her job, and honestly, it was so raw and emotional, I could barely breathe. It was devastating, but you could tell how much he meant to her. I’ve been replaying it in my head ever since!

The weather presenter, trained by the Met Office, became emotional as she announced her departure, explaining it was a difficult thing to say because she truly enjoyed her work.

It’s important to me that I can continue traveling to the Northern Isles for as long as possible – I don’t want to reach a point where I’m unable to go due to age or health problems.

Carol’s BBC career has regularly seen her go above and beyond the use of a clicker.

Since 2010, she’s been the lead weather presenter on BBC Breakfast, becoming a familiar face reporting live from events like Wimbledon, the Chelsea Flower Show, and Royal Ascot.

She’s known for her cheerful attitude, even when things go wrong on live TV. She’s handled unexpected mishaps with a laugh, like the time she was pulled over by dogs and another time when she accidentally misnamed dog walkers in Greenwich Park.

Carol started her career at the BBC as a production secretary and assistant, working on BBC Breakfast of all places. She didn’t initially plan to become a weather forecaster and actually left the BBC for a while to work as a consultant.

She started her broadcasting career by successfully auditioning for The Weather Channel in the US, where she trained for their brief UK channel. Later, she received further training with the BBC and the Met Office, which led to a full-time position with the BBC.

In 1998, she started working at the BBC Weather Centre and soon became well-known to viewers of BBC News and BBC Breakfast.

She’s become a beloved figure nationwide thanks to her bright personality and captivating presence on screen. This has earned her numerous awards and widespread acclaim, including a memorable appearance on Strictly Come Dancing in 2015, where she danced with Pasha Kovalev and reached the eighth week of the competition.

Born Carol MacKellaig, she married property developer Jimmy Kirkwood. They were together for almost twenty years before announcing their separation in 2008.

Honestly, seeing her so upset between giving those weather reports really broke my heart. But later, she shared in an interview that the breakup actually helped her become more confident and open – it was amazing to see her grow!

She shared with the magazine that her divorce led to a personal awakening. She began embracing new opportunities and decided to prioritize saying ‘yes’ to life instead of holding back.

I feel much more courageous now. I’ve experienced incredible things like flying with the Red Arrows and skydiving with the Red Devils. I wouldn’t have dreamed of doing those things when I was younger – I would have considered them far too risky! Now, I realize it’s important to make the most of life and embrace new experiences.

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2026-04-03 12:08