Carol Kirkwood

Carol Kirkwood
240px Kirkwood, August 2008
Born	Carol MacKellaig (1962-05-29) 29 May 1962 Morar, Invernessshire, Scotland
Nationality	Scottish
Alma mater	Napier University, Edinburgh
Occupation	Television presenter
Known for	BBC Breakfast, Victoria Derbyshire
Spouse(s)	Jimmy Kirkwood (divorced)

Carol Kirkwood (born 29 May 1962) is a Scottish weather presenter, trained by the Met Office, and employed by the BBC, notably on BBC Breakfast and Victoria Derbyshire. In 2015, she participated in the 13th series of BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing, finishing in 10th place.

Early life

Born Carol MacKellaig in Morar, Invernessshire, she was one of eight children to parents who ran a hotel in Morar. After attending Lochaber High School in Fort William, Kirkwood gained a BA in commerce from Napier College of Commerce and Technology in Edinburgh.

Career

After graduation, Kirkwood joined the BBC's secretarial reserve in London and after a series of internal moves presented short slots on BBC Radio Scotland, and then BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 4. After marrying Jimmy Kirkwood she left the BBC and subsequently worked in recruitment, and then as a training consultant for a management consultancy in Cheshire.

Kirkwood rejoined the BBC at Elstree Studios training department in 1993 as a freelance presenter, during which time she also presented a bi-monthly programme Talking Issues for HTV West. In 1996 Kirkwood joined the new UK operation of The Weather Channel, but after it closed down she underwent training under the guidance of the BBC at the Met Office, before joining BBC News in April 1998 as a weather presenter. She has since appeared regularly across all of BBC Weather's output on both radio and television, including BBC News, BBC World News, BBC News at Six and the live forecasts as part of the BBC's coverage of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships.

Kirkwood is the main weather presenter on BBC Breakfast. The programme moved from London to MediaCityUK in Salford in 2013 but Kirkwood stayed in London presenting the weather on Breakfast via video link. She fronted the BBC's The Weather Show and is also a regular contributor and reporter for The One Show. In 2011, Kirkwood co-presented the BBC One series The Great British Weather. She also presents the weather on BBC Radio 2's Chris Evans Breakfast Show.

Kirkwood has appeared as a guest on CBBC's show Hacker Time. In 2013, she appeared on BBC One panel show Would I Lie to You?.

Strictly Come Dancing

Main article: Strictly Come Dancing

In August 2015, it was announced that Kirkwood would be taking part in the thirteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing, which began in September 2015. She was partnered with professional dancer Pasha Kovalev.

Week No.	Dance/Song	Judges' score					Result
		Craig Revel Horwood	Darcey Bussell	Len Goodman	Bruno Tonioli	Total
1	Cha-Cha-Cha – "Thunder in My Heart"	2	5	5	4	16	None
2	Foxtrot – "It's a Lovely Day Today"	4	6	5	5	20	Safe
3	Quickstep – "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair"	3	5	5	4	17	Safe
4	Paso Doble – "España Cañí"	5	6	6	5	22	Safe
5	Viennese Waltz – "I've Been Loving You Too Long"	4	6	6	5	21	Safe
6	Rumba – "I Think I Love You"	2	4	4	3	13	Safe
7	American Smooth - "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!"	3	5	5	4	17	Eliminated

Awards

Kirkwood won the TRIC award for best TV Weather Presenter in 2003, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013 and 2014. She received an Honorary Fellowship from HRH Princess Anne for "contributions to broadcasting" at Inverness College, part of the University of the Highlands and Islands, on 17th November 2015.

Filmography

• BBC Breakfast (1999–present) – Weather presenter
• The Great British Weather – Co-presenter
• Hacker Time – Guest
• The Weather Show – Presenter
• The One Show – Reporter
• Would I Lie to You? (2013) – Guest, 1 episode
• Victoria Derbyshire (2015–present) – Weather presenter
• Strictly Come Dancing (2015) – Participant