Carol Kirkwood shared her opinions on Gary Lineker as the BBC Breakfast star talked about ways in which she prefers to spend her time away from work.
Meteorologist Kirkwood, 63, has been sharing weather updates with BBC viewers since for decades, and has avoided breaching the broadcaster's impartiality rules in that time.
Opening up on her passion for the job and how she prefers to dedicate her social media to further her weather reporting, she reflected on how much she loves what she does.
"There will be a day, obviously, when that [retirement] happens, but for now I still love the weather.
Carol Kirkwood shared her thoughts about Gary Lineker
BBC
"We're an island, and the weather changes all the time, so it’s always interesting."
Addressing Lineker's recent controversies which led to the sports pundit's exit from the BBC, Kirkwood added: "No disrespect to Gary Lineker or anybody else, but I’m sticking to the weather."
Speaking to Radio Times, she added: "There isn’t a lot of downtime on my work shift [to be tweeting about politics], and then when I get home I’d rather be reading, or having a glass of wine with friends, or going for a walk."
The weather expert's X account exemplifies this, with her feed dedicated purely to meteorology. However, Kirkwood detailed how she does face "vitriol" online.
Gary Lineker left the BBC after a number of social media controversies
Getty
"I get so much abuse on a regular basis – you get some real vitriol on X," she revealed, before stating she is able to brush off these comments now.
Lineker, 64, hosted his final Match of the Day in May, when he left the corporation following controversy over sharing a social media post that included a rat emoji - a symbol historically used in antisemitic propaganda.
He deleted the post and issued multiple apologies, acknowledging he had caused "error and upset" before leaving a year earlier than planned.
The controversy came after several similar run-ins with the broadcaster over his social media activity.
Keen to avoid risking such scandals, Kirkwood shared her out of work hobbies and declared she ideally likes to take walks with her husband, Steve.
Steve popped the question in 2022, with Kirkwood reminiscing on the romantic moment with the publication. She recalled how it had been during sunny walk he had proposed to her.
The meteorologist described how she had suggested taking a picnic when Steve set one up before "fumbling in his pocket".
Kirkwood admitted she thought he was going to produce a quiche when instead he held up a ring.
Carol Kirkwood has worked at the BBC for decades
BBC
There seems to be a lot of interest in Kirkwood's personal life, with the weather presenter forced to speak out in late 2023 against claims she'd had a "secret wedding".
Writing on X at the time, she shared: “Thank you so much for all your lovely messages. We had the most perfect day.
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Carol Kirkwood explained she's be 'sticking to weather'
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“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."
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