Carol Vorderman's relationship history - from double marriage to polyamory

TV icon Carol Vorderman showed off her enviable curves in a figure-hugging latex skirt as she joined a celebrity line up including Strictly's Angela Rippon at star-studded awards
-Credit: (Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for WFT)


Countdown queen Carol Vorderman has spilled the beans on her bustling romantic life, revealing that she's been juggling dates with not one but five men at the same time.

The age-defying 62 year old, , known for dishing out advice on This Morning as an agony aunt, draws from her own colourful love life when talking about matters of the heart.

She's candidly confirmed that she's involved with five different gentlemen concurrently, making it clear that everyone in this modern love web is clued in and getting along just fine.

Carol's embrace of a polyamorous lifestyle is quite the shift from her history of monogamous marriages. The Welsh television legend has walked down the aisle twice before.

Her first marriage was with Christopher Mather in 1985 at the tender age of 24. But the marriage was fleeting, dissolving after a mere year. Reflecting in 2018, Carol humorously pondered if her performance of 'It's Raining Men' during the wedding festivities might have played a part in the dissolution of her first marriage, reports the Express.

Carol Vorderman
Carol has been married twice before -Credit:Getty

Reminiscing on her old BBC Radio Wales show, she recounted the early days of her first marital journey, admitting it wasn't exactly smooth sailing. "When I got married for the first time, not terribly successfully..." she mused.

She then hinted at a possible explanation for the rocky start: "This could be the reason why..." Carol said, recalling the day's events. "So we got married during the day and had the standard reception thing and then there was an evening do."

The star shared a hilarious wedding night tale involving a daring ensemble, saying: "I got changed into a sheer outfit, the kind of thing you would see on Strictly Come Dancing nowadays, and I had been leant it by the girls from Three, Two, One, the programme."

With a laugh, she recalled: "I got on the stage and I sang this [song] at my wedding and I was then dragged off by my husband. The marriage didn't last long, so here we go. It's raining men... And you can understand his reasons."

Following the end of her first marriafe, Carol found love once more with Patrick King with whom she had children Katie and Cameron. After a decade together they divorced in 2000. Speaking about their split with Woman magazine, Carol admitted: "I never said why my marriage broke down and we'd agreed never to talk about it publicly."

Carol also stated firmly, "I never want to get married again." However, this vow doesn't mean life for the Pride of Britain host has been boring on the romance front.

In the noughties, Carol found herself in a whirlwind romance with Des Kelly, the former deputy editor of the Daily Mirror, after they hit it off at a festive bash. The couple split their time between the hustle and bustle of London and the serene landscapes of West Cork, Ireland. However, after a loving six-year relationship, they called it quits in 2006.

Not one to dwell on heartbreak, the maths whizz quickly fell for Red Arrows pilot Graham 'Duffy' Duff, despite their 14-year age difference.

Carol Vorderman
Carol found fame on Countdown -Credit:PA Archive/PA Images

Their love soared for four years until turbulence hit in 2015, causing them to part ways briefly. They gave love another shot but eventually, Carol confirmed they'd gone their separate ways for good.

In a heartfelt interview with the Mirror in 2016, Carol expressed her contentment with single life: "I'm happily single, freely independent and doing my own thing." She also pondered over the age gap in relationships, admitting: "I'm not opposed to going out with someone 10 years younger, it's acceptable. But Duffy was 14 years younger - that was a bit silly, really."

These days, Carol keeps her love life under wraps, though she did reveal in 2019 that she has been entertaining two "special friends" simultaneously for quite some time. Spilling the beans on This Morning, Carol shared insights into her current life chapter: "I live my life in chapters, as you said, and this chapter since I was about 50. So for the last decade or so, I've lived a life which is much freer.

"I've never felt freer. So I have ignored the looking for one person and I have a number of what I've called 'special friends'."

She's kept quiet on who her 'special friends' are but shared: "They don't know each other, but they know about it. It's a very honest relationship.

"One of them has gone on for many more years than my marriage. Yeah, it's over 10 years. Another is seven. He's an astronaut. He rang me from the space station."

You can catch Have I Got News for You on BBC iPlayer.