My hell over sacking

COUNTDOWN legend Carol Vorderman has sensationally revealed she was FORCED OUT by TV bosses.

Talking exclusively to the News of the World, the Channel 4 star told us: "After 26 years they said, 'Take a 90 per cent PAY CUT or go!' They wanted me out."

Carol knew she was facing her final Countdown when the show's heartless bosses landed a sick low blow in their bid to force a massive 90 PER CENT pay cut.

PERFECT PAIR: Carol with Whiteley

The TV favourite of millions revealed: "I was in shock and absolutely distraught at their ultimatum.

"After putting my heart and soul into the show for 26 years I was given just 48 hours to decide-take it or leave.

"To be honest, I loved Countdown so much I was thinking of taking the cut. In fact, in the right circumstances I'd have done it for FREE-but it was obvious they wanted me out."

And Carol, 47, said the final straw came just before the deadline last Friday, when a Channel 4 boss callously told her: "The show survived easily without Richard Whiteley and it will survive easily without you."

Talking like that about the show's legendary late host, who had been Carol's soulmate, was a step too far.

Since then she has been in constant tears and has only now decided to speak out to dispel rumours that she had greedily demanded a HALF A MILLION POUND pay rise and the main presenter's job. She said: "I've been all over the place for the past week. All I've ever done, with purity in my heart, has been to work hard for Countdown.

"It's not just like a TV programme to me, that's what's so hard. I HADN'T demanded more money and I HADN'T insisted on the No1 job. That's all LIES.

Truth

"I was pushed into leaving something I love. I was forced out, that's the truth.

QUIT: Des O'Connor

"I want the viewers to know I would never walk away from a programme I care so much about. I'm only talking now because I want them to know the truth.

"I had no alternative but to go. I was trying to leave gracefully in spite of everything but then I heard they've been putting those rumours out there. They just couldn't help themselves. What they've done is NOT right."

The hit daytime words and numbers show has been in turmoil since Wednesday when main host Des O'Connor quit.

But what viewers didn't realise was that behind the scenes Carol was also on the verge of deciding to go too.

The problem stems back to a few weeks ago when Carol learned budgets were going to be cut for the show which is made by ITV for Channel 4.

She said: "I heard there'd be cutbacks by about a third. I know these are tough economic times so I said I'd happily allow my pay to be cut by a third.

"My agent John Miles spoke with the ITV contract people to make the offer and then we heard nothing.

"In the meantime I heard a rumour they were trying to get rid of me. I didn't know why, there was no reason given. All this, despite the fact that they were also telling me how much they wanted me to stay.

"The idea of me being the main presenter had even been mooted at one point, but I was happy as I was. I've been offered that job three times since Richard died, but each time I declined."

SMOOTH: Des Lynam

Then Carol-rumoured to earn £900,000 a year from the show-was in her studio dressing room on Wednesday July 16 when her agent rang and said: "I don't know how to tell you this, but I've just had a letter asking you to take a 90 per cent paycut." Carol told us: "It was non-negotiable, take it or leave it. I was shocked."

Nevertheless she put on a brave face and went back in front of the cameras to film three more episodes.

"But everyone knew something was wrong," she said. "I had to just put it down to a migraine and carry on. I simply couldn't take it all in.

"All I could think was, 'I can't leave', but I also realised they didn't want me. They wanted me out."

And on the Friday, Carol knew she had no alternative but to resign when both she and her agent were told by ITV bosses how they could easily go on without her-and threw in the jibe about the show surviving Richard Whiteley's death.

Carol said: "It was such a callous thing to do. I can't bear to hear anyone talking about Richard in a dismissive way. What on earth was possessing them to behave like this?

"They knew which buttons to press and they were just kicking me. I felt sick and I realised that was it."

Her agent refused to give an answer to the pay deal and the deadline stretched on to Friday, two days ago.

Carol said: "Then I realised the game was up. There were phone calls back and forth between my agent and ITV pushing for a decision and I made up my mind to go. I wanted to leave with some dignity intact. But first of all I sent a text to all the crew. I wanted them to hear it from me."

Carol became the first woman to appear on Channel 4 when the show launched in 1982.

Joy

She recalled: "I've been on Countdown since I was 21 and I'm now a middle-aged woman-that's the whole of my adult life.

"I've been through two pregnancies on the show and the Countdown team are like a family to me. For over a decade from the late 80s to the late 90s, it was the channel's biggest show, with the highest ratings week in, week out. That's because everyone could see what joy we were having.

"I still have the same camerawoman, Annie, who I had from day one. She started as a 24-year-old and celebrated her 50th birthday recently.

"It's a unique programme. There isn't another team like it in British TV. We've all worked together for so long.

"Our priority has always been to protect the programme. If anyone ever criticised any of us, we'd be at them like a rocket.

"And that isn't just showbiz claptrap. No one interfered and we never had contact with the bosses.

"Richard and I produced from the floor. There were no scripts, just a passion for the format and for numbers. In fact, it still bothers me if I don't do the numbers in time."

Despite being approached by other TV companies, Carol insists she always remained loyal to Countdown.

She said: "In the 90s I was offered big contracts to leave and move to the BBC and other channels. But I always made sure if I worked for other companies, I was still able to present Countdown.

"I would NOT give it up, however much money I was offered. My priority was my loyalty to the team."

The success of the programme was down to the chemistry between Carol and Whiteley, who died in 2005. Carol recalled: "I loved Richard and he loved me. He could make me laugh and we had the most wonderful times together.

"We'd do five 45-minute shows a day and I'd cry with laughter through every one.

"After Richard died they asked me to take over but I just said I couldn't sit in his chair. It was his job. They told me they might have to drop the programme, but I said I'll continue and we'll MAKE it work."

That's when Des Lynam took the chair for 15 months. When he left Carol was again offered the job but said no and Des O'Connor took over in January last year. Carol added: "We got on really well. But at the start of this year there was a question mark over the show's future. There'd been lots of redundancies at the Leeds studios and everyone was concerned."

She said Countdown's crew feel they have been left in the dark and added: "The show goes off air tomorrow for four weeks, but we only found out when a contestant phoned in and said she couldn't set her video recorder for future episodes. No one had told the team.

"What's happened to me is indicative of what's happening to TV in general. It's changed.

"I'm a lucky woman though, and I do count my blessings. I'm speaking out because I wanted to go with dignity but their rumour-mongering has taken even that away from me. It's so sad." An ITV insider insisted last night: "Carol wasn't forced out. Yes, she was asked to take a substantial pay cut but would still have been paid £2,000 a day for sticking up some numbers. Not bad work if you can get it.

"We make the show for Channel 4 and they cut the budget. We had to make savings and the main costs were the two presenters. So that's what we did. Carol could have taken the cut and stayed, but she chose not to. We don't feel she was forced out.

"We're going through very difficult times."