Carol Kirkwood always seems to be in good spirits, despite some recent criticism from her co-star Jon Kay, and she had an extra reason to smile this week, as she celebrated an impressive achievement.
Carol's publisher took to social media platform X to share photos of a lavish lunch with the star, to celebrate her third novel, Secrets of the Villa Amore, becoming a Sunday Times top 10 bestseller.
One snap showed Carol, who looked fabulous in a red dress with a black floral design, beaming as she held up a framed cover of her book with the bestseller list underneath. The next photo showed her also holding a plate featuring a chocolate desert, which the word "Congratulations" had been iced onto.
HarperCollins' publishing director Kate Bradley shared the photos, capturing them: "Celebrating her Sunday Times top 10 bestseller with the amazing @carolkirkwood…"
Fans of the star shared their delight, including posting clapping emojis in response, while one wrote: "Well done Carol… You and Sally [Nugent] are like a ray of sunshine these dark cold mornings xx".
Carol has had a lot to celebrate recently
The presenter's great news comes just a couple of weeks after fans feared for the future of her relationship. Following a short break from the show, Carol came back wearing her glittering engagement ring after it had been absent during a previous appearance.
Taking to social media platform X, one commented in response to Carol's good morning message: "Morning, relieved to see your ring back in place. Thought you had been let down…"
A week earlier week, another eagle-eyed viewer posted, in response to a BBC weather warning: "The red warning is serious. But not as worrying as Carol Kirkwood not wearing her engagement ring on BBC Breakfast this morning. Hope all is OK?"
© BBCCarol is preparing to tie the knot for the second time, having been married to cricketer Jimmy Kirkwood between 1990 and 2008. In May 2022, she announced live on breakfast TV that she was engaged to her fiancé, former police officer Steve Randall.
Earlier this year, the presenter talked about feeling "happy and healthy" and gushed about her "perfect" beau and why they are in no hurry to organise their big day.
© GettySpeaking to Closer magazine about her 48-year-old partner, Carol, 61, said: "My fiancé is very handsome. He's very kind and caring and he makes me laugh. Steve's a good cook too. He's all I could ever want. In my eyes he's perfect."
The BBC star also opened up about how she and Steve got together – revealing that she wasn't expecting to get into a relationship at the time.
© BBCShe said: "We were friends before we became romantically involved so we knew each other quite well before we started dating.
"That was nice because it just kind of happened. Neither of us were looking for romance and there it was, it just evolves. It's so lovely. Who'd have thought that at this ripe old age, I'd be getting married again? I certainly didn't." The star added: "There's so much to look forward to in the next 20 years".
