However, at the time of her rise to fame on Countdown, the presenter was known for dressing a lot more modestly. While fans today might be used to seeing the 63-year-old in a tiny bikini or a plunging gown, the star used to favour suits back when she the numbers girl on the hit show.
Carol has been open about her love of fitness and her diet, including juicing retreats, so discover the star's transformation over the years below…
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Countdown days – 1997
Carol made her television debut back in 1982 and while she would go on to be known for her daring outfits in the future, during her time on the Channel 4 show, the star opted for a more demure look. Powers suits and loose fitting dresses were her main fashion item for this era.
Even 15 years later, she still loved this general look with a black ensemble and a large blue coat.
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Dieting – 2001
Away from the Countdown studios, Carol was a bit more experimental with her fashion looks and quite daring. This 2001 photo shows the ravishing presenter in a red-hot plunging shirt during a trip to the Royal Albert.
In 2001, Carol also released her book, Detox for Life, which revealed her love of a detox diet, a kind of diet that removes ingredients deemed unnecessary for consumption such as food colourings and additives.
In a 2017 interview, Carol said: "When I hit 40 I did this detox thing, my sort of self-devised, just for 28 days not forever. It was no wheat, no meat, no dairy, no booze, no sugar – all that kind of thing and I was told I was completely cuckoo and now of course that's what's recommended!"
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Dressing down for outfits – 2010
Carol has been a longtime host for the Pride of Britain Awards and she always steals the show when she's on the red carpet. However, her body confidence, which saw her in this sleek black ballgown with a low neckline saw her with a warning from event organisers.
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Rear of the Year – 2011 & 2014
Carol is the only celebrity to have won the award twice, scooping the prize in both 2011 and 2014. In a speech following her second win, the Countdown star joked: "I am both surprised and flattered to win the award for a second time - particularly at this stage of my life.
"As I said when I won it in 2011, I always suspected there were a lot of people out there who were glad to see the back of me. It now appears there were even more than I thought."
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Confidence – 2016
Carol's ever evolving style and body allowed her to begin oozing confidence and she confessed as much during a 2016 interview with the Express. "I don't look as good but I'm probably more confident," the star shared.
"As you get older you realise you don’t have to be the most beautiful girl with the longest legs. A clingy dress with lots of stretch is my go-to outfit when I want to feel great, something to cover all the lumps and bumps."
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Plastic surgery comments – 2019
Given its award-winning status, there has been plenty of chat around Carol's bottom, with some speculating that she had implants, however, in 2019 the star put to bed these rumours.
Speaking to the Mail, she explained: "I've always had a huge [expletive]. I promise I haven't had bottom implants. It's the same old bottom. In my family, loads of us have it: the Vorderman [expletive]. My daughter Katie has it. My nephew has it. We're all sticky-out-bottom people."
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Exercise – 2023
Over on her Instagram stories, Carol has shown off on several occasions her gruelling gym routine, including weights, stretches and resistance training. Although she didn't start off as a gym addict, she told HELLO!'s A Good Place podcast last year how she now found exercise vital.
"Women who are in their 60s, we weren't brought up to exercise," she said. "You had PE at school and there were certainly no gyms. I came to exercise late in my life; now I love walking and I love my gym. I've started stretching a lot, too.
"I think as you get older, you need to do weight-bearing stuff and you need to stretch and squat. If you don't, even for a couple of weeks, you start creaking."
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