BBC weather presenter Carol Kirkwood has said she and her husband Steve are “bursting with happiness” after it was revealed they tied the knot this week.
The 61-year-old Scottish presenter got married on Wednesday in Buckinghamshire and Kirkwood thanked everyone for their messages of congratulations but also hit out at claims she had married in secret.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, she said: “Thank you so much for all your lovely messages. We had the most perfect day.
“It was a tiny wedding but so romantic and intimate. A day we will never forget. We are bursting with happiness. It wasn’t a ‘secret’ wedding, just a private one.”
Weather presenter Carol Kirkwood
PA
Speaking about the news, presenter Charlie Stayt said that pictures shared by the broadcaster, of Kirkwood and Steve on their big day, had been a “very, very popular picture this morning”.
His co-presenter Naga Munchetty added: “She’s the Queen of breakfast and she looks absolutely stunning, doesn’t she? She’s got a heart of gold and she’s loved on this programme”.
Pictures shared show Kirkwood wearing a boat neckline satin dress, a classic design popularised by the Duchess of Sussex, and holding a bouquet of long-stemmed roses.
Former BBC host Dan Walker was among those congratulating Kirkwood, writing on X: “Congratulations to Carol and Steve. Steve is one very fortunate gentlemen and Carol is the best of us all.
“I wish them every happiness in their new life together @carolkirkwood”.
Kirkwood’s message of thanks saw a host of famous faces replying with TV presenter Rylan Clark writing: “Congrats to you both Carol xx”, while radio and TV star Carol Vorderman sent “Huge congratulations” and added: “You are beautiful inside and out. Wishing you both every happiness as ever xx”.
Former BBC presenter Jon Sopel wrote: “Carol – so delighted to hear your news. Sorry if I’m slow to this. Many, many congratulations. You look so happy – and couldn’t happen to a nicer woman.”
In May last year, Kirkwood revealed the couple were engaged on BBC Breakfast, saying she had had “absolutely no idea” Steve was going to propose.
She was congratulated on air about the engagement by her BBC Breakfast colleagues Sally Nugent and Jon Kay as she reported from the Chelsea Flower Show.
Asked by Kay if it had been a “formal, one-knee thing”, Kirkwood said: “Yes, it was, we went out for a picnic. I had absolutely no idea.
“The weather was glorious. We were sitting chatting, and then my other half was a wee bit nervous for some reason, which I didn’t know.
“And he was fumbling in his pocket and then out came a ring and I thought he was joking actually, I didn’t believe him to start with, but it was lovely.”
She added that it was “quite romantic” before telling her co-presenters: “You’re making me really embarrassed now.”
The Scottish presenter was a contestant in the 2015 series of BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing and was partnered with Pasha Kovalev.
Kirkwood had not previously publicly named her long-time partner or his surname and, speaking while promoting her debut romantic novel titled Under A Greek Moon in 2021, she said: “He’s only a secret boyfriend because I never talk about him.
“I always feel that, through my job, I put myself in the public eye and am very happy, but my partner and my family and my friends haven’t, so I’m hugely respectful of their privacy.
“I just don’t talk about them, other than to say that my partner is drop-dead gorgeous, he’s funny, he makes me very happy.”
She added: “He gets up at quarter to three in the morning to make me a cup of tea before going to work, if that’s not romantic, I don’t know what is.”
Under A Greek Moon is about a Hollywood actress embroiled in a scandal who returns to the Greek island where she fell in love with an enigmatic tycoon.
Appearing as the cover star for Prima magazine’s February 2024 issue, she said it “will be nice to retire one day and focus on my writing” but at the moment she is embracing her dual jobs.
She told the publication: “At the moment, I have two careers running in parallel and they’re both full-time, so it’s time-consuming.
“But I also love both of them and, if you want something done, ask a busy person.
“I can’t imagine I’ll be doing the weather when I’m 90 though.”
She was previously married for 25 years to businessman Jimmy Kirkwood before they divorced.
