Beloved weather presenter Carol Kirkwood has confirmed she is stepping away from BBC Breakfast, bringing an emotional end to a remarkable 25-year career with the BBC — a decision she admits has been driven by love, timing, and a desire to finally put her marriage first.
The 63-year-old announced live on air that she will leave the corporation in April, struggling to hold back tears as she addressed colleagues and viewers. Carol described the decision as “really, really hard”, insisting she still deeply loves her job, her weather colleagues, and the audience she has connected with for decades.
She told viewers that presenting the weather had been “an absolute privilege” and something she never once took for granted. From punishing early starts to forecasting everything from sunshine to storms, Carol said she had loved every minute of working alongside teams at BBC Breakfast, BBC Weather and across the BBC.
But behind the warm farewell was a deeply personal reason. Carol revealed that she wants to spend more time with her husband, Steve, whom she married in December 2023 after getting engaged at the Chelsea Flower Show the year before. She admitted that despite being newlyweds, their demanding schedules often left them “like ships passing in the night”.
Speaking candidly, she said she was looking forward to slowing down, travelling, and simply being together more. She added that she still has her writing career, new projects in the pipeline, and big travel plans ahead, joking that she didn’t want to still be turning up to work with a Zimmer frame, unable to reach the northern Isles on the weather map.
As her voice broke, sitting alongside Jon Kay and Sally Nugent, Carol apologised for getting emotional, telling them they were not just colleagues but close friends she loved dearly.
Carol later summed up her choice with striking honesty, saying that while she has loved working at the BBC, she loves her husband more than her job — more than anyone.
Her departure has been quietly planned for some time and kept secret from many BBC staff. Sally Nugent confirmed on air that even members of the production team were only finding out in real time, after months of Carol being unable to speak openly about her plans.
Carol’s journey at the BBC began long before she became a familiar face on screen. She originally worked behind the scenes on BBC Breakfast as a production secretary and assistant, before being encouraged to audition as a “stooge presenter” during television training. To her own surprise, she landed the role and later decided to pursue presenting full-time.
After receiving meteorological training at The Weather Channel, the Met Office and the BBC, Carol joined the BBC Weather Centre in April 1998. She worked on the BBC News Channel before expanding to BBC One and becoming the main weather presenter on BBC Breakfast in 2010.
Over the years, she has reported from major national moments and iconic events including Wimbledon, Royal Ascot, the Chelsea Flower Show and royal engagements. She has also been honoured repeatedly by the Television and Radio Industries Club, winning Best TV Weather Presenter nine times and becoming one of the most respected figures in British broadcasting.
In 2015, she showed another side of herself by competing on Strictly Come Dancing, partnered with Pasha Kovalev, reaching week eight.
Paying tribute, Jonathan Munro, Interim CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, said Carol’s contribution to BBC News and Weather had been exceptional, praising her for setting the gold standard in trusted, accurate journalism, always delivered with a sunny outlook. He said she would be greatly missed by teams across the BBC and wished her every success in the future.
Although Carol has announced her exit now, viewers will continue to see her on screen until April — when she will finally turn off her alarm clock for good and begin a new chapter centred on love, travel and life beyond the forecast.
