Carol Vorderman says Pride of Britain is her proudest achievement: 'It's changed my life'
CAROL VORDERMAN may have appeared on Countdown for a staggering 26 years, however it is in fact Pride of Britain of which she is most proud.
Carol Vorderman has hosted the Pride of Britain awards for 18 years
The presenter has hosted the moving ceremony for almost two decades, and she has now admitted how it has "changed her life".
Speaking ahead of Monday's event, the 55-year-old opened up about her involvement as well as her upcoming solo flight around the world.
Carol commented: "If Pride of Britain was the defining part of my life, I’d be very happy with that. It has changed my life."
The mother-of-two continued: "When I did Countdown with Richard [Whiteley] I loved every moment of it because we laughed like drains, and that was something I did for a long time.
Carol said the Pride of Britain event was her proudest achievement
Presenter Carol said the awards had changed her life
"But you move on and then there are certain things you do, like Pride of Britain, that have a huge effect on your life. And here we are, in our 18th year," she added during an interview with the Daily Mirror.
Carol said she has remained friends with a number of the former honourees, including astronaut and 2006 winner Piers Sellers.
"Piers is genuinely one of my best friends. Very sadly, he’s got stage four pancreatic cancer, but he’s amazing," she said.
Carol Vorderman at the bash back in 2008
Carol Vorderman admits she cries weeks before the Pride of Britain Awards
Carol Vorderman is currently training for a solo around the world flight
Carol went on to discuss her gruelling flight, revealing how her pilots license had given her a "whole new lease of life".
On her recent survival training, she added: "You really only have minutes after you have that cold water shock before your body will start to close down.
"It made me appreciate how much more I’ve got to do. And it’s changed things for me. It has made me appreciate a lot more the points when I will be flying over water."
The Pride of Britain Awards 2016 will air on Tuesday at 8pm on ITV.