Carol Vorderman tells Heart health scare gave her new lease of life

Carol Vorderman joined Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden this morning, where she opened up about overcoming burnout and chronic rheumatoid arthritis.

The broadcaster revealed that her illness once left her “lying on the floor crying for a day” but said she now feels completely revitalised.

“I’ve been like you Amanda, 43 years working,” she said. “I don’t live in London, so travelling in and out all the time gave me burnout.

“Then I had sudden chronic rheumatoid arthritis – I literally couldn’t move my shoulder. I had to keep my arm in, and I was on steroids for months while they tried to find the right drugs. Now I’ve been off steroids for about three months and it’s like, ‘yeah, I like this!’”

Amanda told her it sounded like she’d been “woken up to life”, to which Carol replied: “Yes, because I was always a party animal and now I’m back! You ask Alan Carr.”

Despite her party-loving spirit, Carol said she’s never relied on alcohol or substances: “I don’t drink, I’ve never smoked, I’ve never done a recreational drug, and I’m like a clean-living girl. I’m glad it happened, if that doesn’t sound too weird.”

Jamie Theakston summed up the moment, saying that after a health scare, “you feel like you’ve had a bit of a rebirth” and Carol wholeheartedly agreed.

Listen to Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden weekdays from 6.30 – 10am across the UK and on Global Player.