‘It still brings me to tears’

Carol Vorderman has issued a heartfelt tribute to her late “TV husband” Richard Whiteley on the 20th anniversary of his death.

Countdown legend Richard died in June 2005 at the age of 61. Carol appeared on the long-running Channel 4 show alongside Richard from 1982 until his death. Richard was the host and Carol the resident mathematician.

And this week, Carol paid tribute to Richard as she looked back on their two-decade friendship.

Richard died 20 years ago (Credit: Shutterstock)

Carol Vorderman on ‘wonderful’ Richard Whiteley

On Thursday (June 26), Carol took to her Instagram and paid tribute to her late pal Richard Whiteley.

The I’m A Celeb star uploaded several photos of the pair over the years, and in the caption, she described the photo.

“RICHARD WHITELEY DIED 20 YEARS AGO TODAY,” Carol began her lengthy post. She added: “The funny, wonderful, party animal, loving, nonsensical “TV husband” of mine for 23 years.

“I thought it would be nice to see some hairstyles and jokes, but they are a tiny part of the job all of us Countdowners (including everyone who watched) shared over the many years.”

Carol Vorderman issues heartbreaking tribute

Describing each photo, Carol Vorderman said: “1. Hairstyles!! 2. FIRST Countdown – the first show ever on Channel 4. Millions tuned in for the start of this new channel (a huge event in 1982). We made TV history. Then the next day we made history for a second time as we had the highest % ever who switched us off! We laughed about it for years.

“3. Richard with me (just numbers back then) and Kathy Hytner (who did the letters) back in the early 1980s. Countdown became Channel 4’s biggest show across all of the network for years. We recorded it at Yorkshire TV in Leeds (I lived in Leeds) so it had that Northern mischief. We loved everyone who came to be in audience.

Carol continued: “4. Lovely. 5. Richard, me 8 months pregnant (1990s), with Terry Wogan and Ken Bruce. 6. Cover of SAGA magazine – cuddling away as ever. 7. Dick’s favourite joke. 8. Part two of THAT joke. 9. Christmas show where he wore a tie with the word COUNTDOWN painted down it… nobody noticed in recording BUT the day after it went out he was front page of the newspapers. Richard sat behind the desk and the DOWN bit of the tie disappeared. He’d covered the letter O in COUNT with his microphone. Leaving [explicit] visible for the whole happy Christmas show. OMG.”

Carol reflected on her time with her late pal (Credit: ITV)

‘It still brings me to tears’

Carol also shared snaps of Richard’s later years.

She wrote: “10. Our last time together at the British Book Awards just 2 months before he died. If only we’d known. 11. Richard’s last 60 seconds on Countdown before he suddenly fell ill.

“Richard’s memorial filled York Minster, with thousands watching outside too. People had travelled from all over the UK to pay their respects – he was so well loved.”

Finishing off the emotional post, Carol said: “I grieved heavily for him. It still brings me to tears and laughter whenever I think of him. I changed my life after that, not caring so much for telly as nothing would ever feel that good.

“Through marriages, divorces, pregnancies, laughter and tears… and I would not change any moment of our time together for all the world. Thanks Whiters, I still love you xx.”