SHE’S the bubbly presenter who’s never without a smile – whatever the weather.
But viewers have picked up tension between BBC Breakfast favourite Carol Kirkwood and her co-host Naga Munchetty.
Carol Kirkwood speaks exclusively to The Celeb Report
Naga Munchetty and Carol, pictured with the BBC Breakfast cast in 2017, have had cross words on numerous occasions
On two separate occasions last month alone, Naga appeared to take a swipe at 60-year-old weather presenter’s age and called her “really stern” in a spat over the Christmas Day forecast.
Now, in an exclusive interview with The Celeb Report, Carol has addressed her and Naga’s relationship, insisting their friction is “just banter”.
Admitting she’s often asked by fans whether she and Naga get on, she tells us: “We absolutely do.
“I love Naga and we just have banter. I love the camaraderie between us and everyone. It’s a good, fun job.”
Embarrassing blunder
Carol joined BBC Breakfast in the summer of the show’s launch in 1983 as a production secretary.
She then left and returned a few times over the years in different roles before joining the show as a weather presenter in 1998.
Carol is now the longest-serving presenter on BBC Breakfast – which celebrates its 40th anniversary this week – and has had her share of embarrassing blunders while on air.
Carol Kirkwood accidentally said “doggers” while presenting the weather
Her most infamous gaff came in August 2020 when she was presenting live from Greenwich Park in London.
While describing the pleasant conditions outside, Carol suffered an awkward slip of the tongue when she accidentally mixed up the words “dog walkers” and “joggers”.
“Good morning everybody and Greenwich Park is one of the oldest enclosed royal parks and look at it,” she said. “Fabulous. The sun is beating down.
“We’ve seen lots of doggers.”
Correcting herself, she added: “Lots of… not doggers, of course.
“Lots of dog walkers and joggers around here through the course of this morning.”
Recalling the gaffe, she tells us: “That was the most embarrassing one. I think that’s going to follow me for the rest of my life.
“I still get it now – and I can’t believe I said ‘doggers’ twice, because I corrected myself.
“I could’ve been in a lot of trouble but it was obvious it was a mistake, and everybody saw the funny side of it.”
‘When you lose it, you lose it’
Carol remembers when her necklace fell off mid-broadcast
Carol recalled another funny moment when she broke into a fit of giggles after her necklace came loose and fell down her dress mid-broadcast.
“I could hear the director in my ear saying, ‘The necklace is going, the necklace is going, oh no, it’s going to the cleavage, it’s going, it’s going, it’s gone’,” she chuckles.
“I could hear Bill [Turnbull] and Sian [Williams] who were sitting next to me on the sofa sniggering.
“I was trying so hard not to laugh – and then eventually I couldn’t help it and I just burst out laughing.
“And I couldn’t stop laughing after that, because when you lose it, you lose it.”
Despite various blunders, Carol is very happy she’s never got the forecast as badly wrong as Michael Fish – who infamously denied a hurricane was going to hit the UK in 1987.
Hours later the devastating storm hit the UK, claiming 18 lives and causing an estimated £2billion of damage.
“I’ve never been completely wrong,” she laughs. “I haven’t had a Michael Fish moment, nothing quite like that yet.
“And hopefully I won’t – I don’t want to make my name that way!”
‘I’m not a sex symbol!’
Carol insists she’s not a sex symbol
Carol – who announced her engagement to fiance Steve last year – has many admirers, and is often referred to as a sex symbol.
When asked how she feels about that status, she jokes: “Can you give me their names and addresses please?
“No, I’m the girl next door. I’m certainly not a sex symbol.
“Seriously, I would never see myself in that light in a million years!”
She adds: “I try to look smart and I still have to do my own hair and make-up in the mornings – which I have to say is hit and miss.
“Some days I don’t go out looking spectacular because my hair won’t do what I want, but it’s an important part of the job.
“However, for me, the most important part of my job is delivering the weather in a way that an audience listening can understand.”
And it doesn’t seem like Carol is going anywhere any time soon.
“I love my job,” she tells us. “I love the variety, I love the weather, I love the outside broadcasts and the fact that we get to meet everyone when you’re out and about, and you get to see different parts of the country as well that you may not otherwise have seen.
“It’s a brilliant job and I’m so lucky. Why would I want to do anything else? I’m very happy doing this!”
BBC Breakfast’s 40th anniversary special airs at 6.30am on January 17 on BBC One.
Carol revealed she’s engaged to fiance Steve last year
