A bizarre and explicit conversation about Carol Vorderman’s private life was inadvertently broadcast live after a camera crew were picked up on an open microphone.
The incident occurred during coverage of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, where a practice session between two female players, Alex Eala and Iga Swiatek, was being streamed on the tournament’s official website.
Unaware they were being heard, three men engaged in a conversation about the former Countdown presenter, including references to “open relationships” and a “butt lift”, that was carried live to viewers.
Clips of the exchange quickly circulated online.
During the conversation, one of the men speculated about Vorderman’s appearance, suggesting she had undergone a “butt lift”, a claim she has previously denied.
Another said: “She’s come out and says that she’s in like an open relationship with five or six guys.”
“With five or six guys?” another responded, before a third added: “Good girl. Wow.” Vorderman has previously spoken about openly about her romantic life, saying she has no desire to return to a long-term relationship after two marriages ended in divorce.
At one point, one of the men remarked: “I follow her on Instagram, because she’s from Southampton,” prompting a colleague to reply: “You’re such a stalker.”
According to reports, the individuals heard on the recording are not affiliated with the Women’s Tennis Association, and are said to have been left “mortified” by the incident, per WalesOnline.
Staff have since been reminded of broadcast protocols.
The Standard has contacted representatives for Carol Vorderman for comment.
The presenter has previously spoken openly about her personal life, describing her approach to relationships as unconventional.
“Half of first marriages end in divorce, and nearly three quarters of second marriages end in divorce. So I prefer to live my life in chapters,” she said in 2023. “I have ignored the looking for one person and I have a number of what I've called ‘special friends’.”
“They don't know each other, but they know about it. It's a very honest relationship… I don’t want to be in a relationship because I love my life,” she added.
Reflecting on attitudes towards women, she said: “The language around a woman of my generation is that if you had more than one partner when you got married you were this you were that.
“Everything was derogatory about a woman, that was the environment I was growing up in. It was like ‘she's desperate’, everything was judgmental.”
“Well you can take all that and you can throw it out the window, that's my polite way of saying it.”
