Carol Vorderman has made a sly dig at Matt Hancock after explaining their meeting at Cheltenham Festival. The Countdown legend, who lives in Clifton, was one of thousands of racegoers who descended upon Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire yesterday, March 14, as the first day of races commenced.
The 62-year-old is attending the races this week with her friend Jules, and has been wowing fans with her smart yet sexy leather looks. But last night, after changing from her sophisticated racing ensemble into her pyjamas upon her return home, Carol expressed her shock after being accused by a newspaper of "cosying up" to Matt Hancock.
When it was announced that the former Health Secretary would be entering the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! camp late last year, Carol was one of many people to criticise the MP's decision to do so, emphasising the last half of his surname in a video she posted to Instagram at the time. After it was suggested that the pair were getting close at Cheltenham Festival, Carol took the time to explain the "truth" behind the photographs of her and Matt with her social media followers.
Read more: Carol Vorderman arrives at Cheltenham Festival 2023 in stunning hat and shawl
Expressing her shock towards the headlines, Carol told her fans: "I'm home and I'm in my pyjamas and I'm with my Jules. We had a great day at Cheltenham, and we've just looked online and there's a whole blimmin' thing in the Daily Mail - talk about a set up - about how I've been cosying up to Matt HanCOCK."
"Okay, I'm going to tell you what happened. I am always a guest of the Jockey Club, I'm at Cheltenham Races all the time, I go to a lot of race meetings... I have shares in a horse with the chairman of Cheltenham races, it's one of my things."
The pilot then explained that she was having lunch with her "dear friends" Michael Dickinson and Sir Brendan Foster, when she and Jules decided to watch Honeysuckle's final race from the terrace of the Royal Box. The eight-year-old mare triumphed in the Mares' Hurdle under Rachael Blackmore, BBC Sport reports, and received a huge cheer from the spectating crowd on her last race before retirement.
"It was a beautiful day," Carol said of yesterday. "We go out onto the terrace to watch Honeysuckle and the others canter down to the start, which is just glorious. Jules and I are almost alone on this big terrace, it's such a set up, and we're looking out at the course. Tap on the shoulder, 'Hello, my name's Gina'."
Recalling the conversation she had with Matt and his aide-turned-girlfriend Gina Coladangelo, Carol continued: "And then I turn around, 'Hello, I'm Matt'. I'm like, 'Hello, I'm Carol, this is my friend Jules'.
"What are you meant to do? You're in the Royal Box, you can't call them a... in the Royal Box, can you?"
Carol then explained that she asked the couple, who were outed for having an extramarital affair in 2021, whether they were into racing. Gina told Carol that she wasn't particularly a fan, but Newmarket was in Matt's constituency, and he had ridden as a jockey before, something Carol didn't know but thought was "interesting".
Desperate to watch the action on the racecourse, Carol told the couple that she wanted to watch the race, so turned around. But then Matt, who has dyslexia, carried on talking, she claims, and thanked her for all the work she does to raise awareness of dyslexia, as her son, Cameron, had special educational needs during his school days.
"Jules and I never spoke another word again," she said. "That's it. Talk about a bloody set up by the Daily Mail or whoever, honestly!
"I mean, what are you meant to do! I was brought up to be polite, just as I am to 500/600 people who ask for selfies everyday at Cheltenham, that's how I was brought up.
"So, anyway, make of that what you will - that's the truth. It's made me laugh!"
Carol was also spotted laughing and joking with a former Pop Idol star, with some speculating that there was something going on between them. "Also by the way apparently I'm now having an affair with Gareth Gates!" she said, before bursting out laughing. "Really?"
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