Carol Vorderman Breaks Down in Tears, Fearing Career Ruin After Humiliating ITV Incident

Carol Vorderman, the former Countdown star, recently opened up about a humiliating moment on a primetime ITV show that left her in tears and fearing for her career. The incident took place during her appearance on Stars In Their Eyes in 1998, where she performed as Cher.

Recounting the experience on the Off Menu Podcast with Ed Gamble and James Acaster, Carol revealed that former ITV boss David Liddiment had asked her opinion on a celebrity version of the show, knowing she was a fan. Thinking it was a “genius” idea, she enthusiastically agreed, only to realize she had unintentionally signed herself up to participate.

Stars In Their Eyes, hosted by Matthew Kelly, was a popular show where contestants transformed into their favorite singers and performed iconic tracks. The show ran for 17 series and featured several celebrity spin-offs, as per reports Daily Express.

Reflecting on her appearance, Carol, now 63, admitted it left her feeling “physically sick.” Despite being “a bit of a party animal,” she had never sung into a microphone before. “I was a cross between blimming Cher and Celine Dion and all the rest— I was amazing. Except I wasn’t,” she joked.

She described the performance as a nightmare, saying she “couldn’t see a thing” due to the dry ice on stage, and with the audience screaming, she “couldn’t hear a thing.” She continued, “I thought, ‘Oh, there’s the music, I’d better start.’ By that point, it was too late. I was like, ‘Does he looo-,’ and I had to do it again. The tears were falling down my cheeks.”

Carol recalled how the entertainment crew, unfazed, simply told her to keep going, emphasizing that they had already captured the shot of her walking through the ice. “Everyone’s so cynical in entertainment,” she said, reflecting on how they pushed her to continue despite the mishap.

When the episode eventually aired months later, Matthew Kelly texted her during the broadcast, humorously noting that there was “no one around” in his local supermarket— a sign that the show had a massive audience. Carol admitted she couldn’t bring herself to watch the episode, convinced it marked the end of her career. “I literally felt sick. I thought, ‘My career, that’s it. It’s over.’”

Her cousin Pam tried to reassure her, saying, “Don’t worry, love. It’s a good job you can count.” Despite her fears, the episode reportedly drew around 17 million viewers.

Despite the incident, Carol’s career continued to thrive. She remained the Countdown maths expert until 2008 and has since hosted shows on BBC Radio Wales, presented on Loose Women, and regularly appears on ITV This Morning. Last year, she even competed on The Masked Singer, performing as a reindeer.