Carol Kirkwoods Dream Retirement: European Adventure Awaits!

 delivered her final  weather forecasts after three decades on screen with the broadcaster on Wednesday.

After 30 incredible years on air, Carol plans to take a bit of 'me time' and drive into the sunset with her toyboy husband Steve Randall, 49. 

The much-loved presenter, 63, is hoping to set sail and travel around Europe with the policeman after many years of prioritising her career.

Carol has already started to share snippets of her low-key retirement life, having joined Instagram back in January.  

She is most looking forward to ditching her 2.45am alarm for good and spending some hard-earned quality time with her love. 

The couple married in December 2023 - nine years after her divorce from property developer Jimmy Kirkwood. 

'Lots of travels, we've got lots of things planned', she shared on her final on-screen moment.

'We're really looking forward to watching Matt in the morning saying the weather is going to be rubbish! And we will say, "Let's head off in the car somewhere".'

Steve added: 'It's going to be the best ever [having Carol at home more], and the first thing to go is the alarm clock. That can go!'

She wed Steve in December 2023 at Cliveden House in Buckinghamshire, and the pair now live together in Windsor. 

She told House Beautiful magazine in July 2024: 'If he's at home, I'm happy. I don't need anything else. He's tall, handsome, kind, gentle, strong, funny, charming. 

'He's a gentleman. He's good at cooking. I could wax lyrical about Steve forever.'

Just before Carol waved goodbye to the show, she was joined by her husband Steve, who appeared with a large bunch of flowers from him and the BBC team.

The TV presenter announced she would be walking away from the series back in January, with a tearful on-screen announcement to viewers. 

Carol struggled to get her words out as she announced the news alongside co-stars Sally Nugent and Jon Kay, admitting she 'loves her job' but was keen to .

The presenter struggled to hold it together as she delivered her final forecast, even as she was met with loving well-wishes in a VT from her fellow BBC co-stars. 

Carol was seen joining Sally, 54, and Jon, 56, in the studio for the last time, smiling for the cameras as she revealed what fans could expect from the weather this week.

She went on to join Sally and Jon on the sofa at the end of her broadcast, who thanked her for providing details for a 'few days ahead' so they could continue to have a 'Carol forecast' even after her departure. 

Sally began: 'I don't know if you know Carol, but you have changed the way weather is reported on television in lots of ways, whether you're on the map or out on location, whether you're meeting our viewers... You've been broadcasting from massive events over the years.'

Carol went on to list: 'The Chelsea Flower Show, Wimbledon, the poppies at the Tower of London, Royal Ascot, there have been so many.'

The BBC then played an emotional VT from other stars at the BBC sending Carol their well-wishes, including Sue Barker, Vicky McClure, Paul Merton, Zoe Ball, Clare Balding, Chris Evans and Sir Chris Hoy. 

A second tribute VT also saw Charlie Stayt, Louise Minchin, Sian Williams, Susanna Reid and Dan Walker gush over 'lovely, kind and caring' Carol as they remembered her time on screen over the year.

The messages included telling Carol she was a 'ray of sunshine', 'great friend' and told her how she 'brought smiles to so much of the nation' as they predicted that audiences would 'really miss her.'

Sally and Jon also surprised Carol with a message from Bryan Adams, who thanked her for 'all the great weather reports over the years,' leaving her in shock. 

'That was lovely,' Carol gushed over the series of videos as it came to an end, adding: 'It's lovely to have made such brilliant friends, all genuinely lovely people.'

Jon then read out some of the messages sent in by viewers for Carol, who admitted they were emotional to wave goodbye to the weather presenter. 

Carol concluded that it hadn't quite hit her yet that she was leaving the show, adding: 'I'm in denial, and I expect I will rock up on Monday...

'It's going to be weird,  it's going to be weird not speaking to all our lovely audience, not seeing the crew both in front and behind the camera not just on BBC Breakfast but at BBC Weather. 

'It's going to be different and I'm going to miss everyone horribly.' 

The trio also looked back on Carol's career, from being a production assistant on BBC Breakfast before becoming the resident meteorologist for three decades. 

She concluded: 'I'm going to try and get through this. This is a forecast I've known for quite a while was coming, but that doesn't make it any easier to present. 

'After 28 years as a BBC weather presenter, tracking storms, chasing sunshine, and occasionally getting it completely wrong, I'm saying goodbye. 

'When I first walked into this studio, I could never have imagined what was ahead. Back then the graphics were simpler, the maps were a bit clunkier and I had a lot less grey hair than this.

'But one thing has never changed, and that is the privilege and honour of being welcomed into your homes. Thank you for trusting me, be it telling you about heatwaves or snow, to big national events and the every day question of: "Do I need to take a brolly?"