Carol Kirkwood has revealed that losing family and friends prompted her decision to retire from BBC Breakfast.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, the former weather presenter explained why she and husband Steve Randall wanted more time together.
The 64-year-old said her sister-in-law Jan died last year, while her good friend Tracy died this year.
“They were too young, too young to go,” she said.
Explaining their decision, Carol continued: “The reason we retired was because we lost a lot of family and friends.”
She added: “I’m in my 60s now, so what am I waiting for?”
BBC Breakfast star Carol Kirkwood on retirement with husband Steve
Carol said leaving a BBC job she loved had been a big decision, but the timing felt right.
The couple married in December 2023. Steve is a retired police officer.
With both now retired, they have been spending their free time travelling together.
She explained: “We’re living to our timetable, our schedule, not somebody else’s.”
Her BBC career spanned 28 years, including regular forecasts on Breakfast and annual weather updates from Wimbledon.
She still misses her former colleagues. The early starts, however, are another matter.
She used to get up at 2.45am for work. Now, she gets seven to eight hours’ sleep each night and can enjoy having her evenings back.
Carol Kirkwood’s A Christmas Invitation
Retirement hasn’t meant putting her writing on hold. Carol’s sixth novel, A Christmas Invitation, came out last week, and she is already working on her seventh.
Meanwhile, she also has an idea for book eight.
Her latest book carries a dedication to Jan and Tracy, remembering two women she felt had died too young.
The festive story moves between television glamour and a Cotswolds mansion, with celebrity Fliss Courtney at its centre.
Fliss has a successful Friday-night show in New York, where her social circle includes A-list names.
However, a revelation sends her away from the city and into the Cotswolds.
Carol draws inspiration from places she has visited, as well as writers Jackie Collins and Jilly Cooper.
She hopes readers will enjoy escaping into a glamorous setting, where outward success doesn’t reveal everything about its characters.
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