Carol Smillie ‘unhappy’ about behind snubbed by Changing Rooms reboot

SHE’S known for being one of the cheeriest women on telly – but veteran host Carol Smillie is anything but happy after being snubbed by those behind the Changing Rooms reboot.

Carol presented the decorating show for seven years when it was on the BBC between 1996 and 2003.

However, when Channel 4 started putting together their cast for the new series, Carol was missed off their list. And after I exclusively revealed how Davina McCall had to pull out as the host last month, insiders told me Carol had been snubbed again.

A source explained: “Carol hasn’t been approached by those behind the Changing Rooms reboot — even when Davina had to pull out. A lot of people thought she’d be the number one choice given her experience on the show before and because they were bringing back Laurence LLewelyn-Bowen.

“Some people close to Carol raised it and it was made clear to them that her nose had been put out of joint.

“It’s only natural she would feel that way. Carol was the heart and soul of Changing Rooms for years.

“She was hugely passionate about the show and loved being a part of it. Even some of the people working on the show have wondered why Carol was never asked to come back as the host.”

Personally I think Carol would have been perfect back at the helm of the show.

And given Laurence’s involvement, it would have added the perfect hit of nostalgia for fans of the long-running show.

But as we all know, the world of telly can be a brutal place and, as they say, everyone is replaceable. I’m sure it won’t be long until Carol is Smillie again.

REGSPOTTING

LINE Of Duty fans will have been ­watching this series hoping for a bit of Trainspotting-inspired chaos, given it’s been a touch slow so far.

But in the absence of some brutality or hard drug use, eagle-eyed fans might have clocked what appears to be a nod to new lead Kelly Macdonald‘s past in the legendary film.

Fans reckon the number plate of one of the police cars used by Kelly’s character Jo Davidson’s unit is a nod to Begbie, played by ­Robert Carlyle in the hit flick.

That’s because it has the plate BE66 BAI. Top sleuthing.

Another smart bit of work by a fan is working out that the storyline of the death of journalist Gail Vella was not inspired by the late Jill Dando, but a Maltese reporter called Daphne Caruana ­Galizia.

Writer Jed responded on Twitter to switched-on viewer Loredana: “The ­Gaffer has been complaining that none of the detectives out there had spotted this clue. He’ll probably ask you to join AC-12.”

JIMMY’S FACE-OFF

IT’S lucky for Jimmy Carr that Amanda Holden has such a good sense of humour because the comedian did not hold back when he joked about her possibly having had cosmetic procedures.

He told Amanda during the forthcoming first episode of I Can See Your Voice: “There’s bits of you that are from the Nineties and bits that are more recent.”

Jimmy also poked fun by branding her a man-eater.

When a rugby player appeared on stage, he said: “I think that’s part of Amanda’s rider that’s meant to be backstage.”

The pair and This Morning‘s Alison Hammond are on the panel of BBC1’s new singing guessing game which begins on Saturday night.

BILLY THE KIDDER IN NEW BOOK

EVERY soldier I’ve ever met has always had a wicked sense of humour, and SAS Who Dares Wins star Billy Billingham is clearly no different.

The military hardman appears to have a subtle dig at his on-screen pals in the description of his latest book.

In the spiel for Call To Kill, his new fiction thriller, he describes himself as the “only one with a genuine SAS career” out of the “lead line-up” of the hit show.

Now, it could be because the likes of Ant Middleton and co were actually in the Special Boat Service (SBS), the naval equivalent of the Special Air Service, or that he thinks his colleagues are total fantasists . . . 

His colleagues – including Jason “Foxy” Fox and Ollie Ollerton – spent years in the SBS. During his 17 years in the SAS, Billy was responsible for top-level operations and training in locations including Iraq and Afghanistan.

He later became a bodyguard to A-listers such as Brad Pitt, Sir Michael Caine and Tom Cruise. I’d pay good money to see who’d win in a fight between Billy and Foxy. My cash would be on the latter.