Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Carol Vorderman: 'I put on a STONE from the stress of being sacked from Countdown'

She famously battled with her weight for years before finally shedding two stone after a rigorous detox diet.

Now Carol Vorderman has revealed that the stress of losing her Countdown job has made her pile on the pounds.

The star admitted that she had put on close to a stone after a ‘re-tox’ period where she has binged on food.
Carol Vorderman

Stressed: Carol Vorderman, pictured two weeks ago (L), compared to her slimmest in 2003 (R), has put on weight after stepping down from Countdown

She said: “I have had a re-tox year. When I get stressed, I don’t sleep well and then I get tired. And when I get tired I find myself shovelling food in my mouth just to keep myself awake.

“I realised I was putting on weight, when I found my dresses were a bit tighter. I was trying to blame the zips when I had difficulty putting them on, but the zips weren’t to blame.”

The star has made millions from books on healthy living and diet advice following her dramatic weight loss.

“There was research done a couple of years ago which found that people who are tired tend to eat more and put on weight. Reaching for the biscuits has done it for me.
It’s a sugar thing, to keep one’s sugar levels up,” she told Reveal magazine.

But Miss Vorderman, 47, insisted that she would lose the extra pounds by Christmas, when she is due to bow out of Countdown.

She added: “ I need to get a lot fitter and I simply haven’t had time to do that.”

The latest adverts are Miss Vorderman's first new project since it was revealed that she was quitting Countdown.

Carol Vorderman

'I need to get fitter': Vorderman admits she's put on a stone

The star said that she resigned after she was unable to come to a suitable pay agreement with Channel 4 bosses.

It is understood she was asked to take a significant pay cut of as much as 90per cent to her estimated £900,000 salary.

Vorderman earns £17,000 a day for 40 days filming a year. This works out as £3,750 per show.

Insiders said the current economic downturn and the show's weaker ratings meant she would have been told to take less money to stay on.

There were also suggestions that she felt Countdown was not the same since Richard Whiteley died in 2005.

He was replaced by Des Lynam, who resigned last year. Des O'Connor, who took over has now revealed he is leaving the show.

Miss Vorderman had been with the Channel 4 quiz show since it started in 1982, when she was just 21 years old.

The broadcaster is currently searching for an unknown face to take Miss Vorderman’s place, in the hope of creating a new, less expensive star.

Executives have moved to quash rumours that the future of the programmes is in doubt.

However it is understood that executives have looked at other afternoon quiz ideas.
Carol Vorderman

Departure: Vorderman is leaving Countdown later this year

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