MATHS whiz Carol Vorderman today reveals a family secret – her son Cameron, 18, has “severe” dyslexia.
The former Countdown star has never mentioned his learning difficulties before, but now that Cameron is an adult she feels she can bring it out in the open.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Carol, 54, says: “Cameron was six when I finally got the diagnosis he was dyslexic but I knew long before then that something wasn’t right.
“By that age it was hard for him to be educated anywhere, as his needs were so severe. At one stage I thought I’d have to home school him, which terrified me as I didn’t have the knowledge for that.
“In the end we found a good private special educational needs school where he went for four years.
“He had to do three days of tests. It was so over-subscribed the chances of him getting a place were slim, so I had to hope he was bad enough to be taken there. He was, luckily.
“There were times it was very hard, and I did worry about his future, but I knew with extra attention from me and lots of praise he would be OK.”
She also has a 23-year-old daughter, Katie, from her ten-year marriage to management consultant Patrick King which ended in 2000.
Carol recalls that while Katie, who recently got a masters in science at Cambridge, would happily do her homework, Cameron needed far more help because of his condition.
Dyslexia is a general term for disorders that involve difficulty in learning to read or interpret words, but which do not affect general intelligence.
She says: “With a lot of encouragement he’s now doing well. He’s great. He’s 6ft 5in, very funny and so kind. And I’m so proud that he’s going to university in October.
“Although he had learning difficulties he still loved stories. And from a young age he had a majestic command of the English language because he listened to audio books and intelligent radio all the time. His vocabulary was incredible.”
Carol believes that recognising and encouraging children’s talents is key to their success in life — but a little nagging doesn’t hurt.
She says: “Cameron needs lots of advice and tips with life skills because things that might come naturally to other people don’t to him.
“I had to break things down to help him remember things because he can be a little bit chaotic and forgetful.
“If he was going shopping I would suggest little strategies that would stick in his mind so he wouldn’t forget what needed to be done.”
Now that her children are grown up, Carol can follow a few of her own dreams. A qualified pilot, she plans to fly solo around the world following the route Amelia Earhart was taking in 1937 when she disappeared. Carol’s adventure has the full backing of her boyfriend, RAF Red Arrows pilot Graham Duff, 40.
Carol says: “Now Katie has graduated and Cameron is about to start at university I feel I can get on with the next phase of my life.
“I’ve been a single parent and it’s a lot of work. I took a break from my television commitments because I felt as though I couldn’t do it all. But I’m going to have more time now and I’d like to do more telly and focus on my educational projects.
“Education is my passion and it’s important for me to walk the walk and be active in that field and do everything I can to help all children.”
Fulfilling this ambition has made Carol — who lives in Bristol with mum Jean, 87 — the No1 bestselling children’s education author.
She has just released 10 Minutes A Day Spelling Fun and 10 Minutes A Day Vocabulary — books designed to help children unravel the rules and challenges behind spelling and grammar, to make learning easy and fun.
To coincide with the books’ release, publisher Dorling Kindersley tested parents and primary school children across the UK on their spelling and grammar.
Worryingly, the survey found only just over half of all parents polled said they would be confident checking their child’s homework for spelling, punctuation and grammar.
It also revealed the everyday words parents and children struggle to spell, and the grammar pitfalls they commonly fall into.
Carol says: “About 96 per cent of primary teachers gave up maths at 16 and they’re not particularly confident at teaching it, which comes through in the classroom.
“Making maths a game is great, and if the parents can get involved so much the better. Children love to pitch their wits against Mum and Dad. When you’re bringing up kids, you have to be part of it.
“As much as children learn from their parents, parents can learn from their children.
“The worst thing a parent can do is to say maths or spelling is boring or hard. Children need continual encouragement and praise.”
Newly blonde Carol has undergone an amazing style revolution since her frumpy early days presenting Countdown.
She says: “Some people look amazing as teenagers and continue to look amazing for life. Others definitely develop their style and grow into their looks — I think I’m one of those people.
“I don’t get embarrassed though when I see old pictures of myself wearing jackets with huge shoulder pads . . . I embrace my past and all the things I’ve done.
“It gets harder to maintain your looks as you get older. I’ve definitely noticed the difference since turning 50. One big thing I’ve done for my health is to cut down on alcohol. I can’t drink the way I used to. I told my family I was going to give up booze for a year last year. I was teetotal for six months, so I didn’t quite hit the full target, but I’ve cut down a lot.
She also reveals: “There are still so many opportunities coming my way. But I won’t be going into the Big Brother house, whatever the rumours.
“I’ve never watched it and don’t intend to start. There are more important things to be done.”
— Carol’s latest books, 10 Minutes A Day Vocabulary and 10 Minutes A Day Spelling Fun, (£5.99 each, Dorling Kindersley) are out now.
’Support can help’
By CAROL COOPER, Sun Doctor
DYSLEXIA is one of the most common learning difficulties and is often misunderstood.
It is a very specific problem with processing the sounds in words, so it affects reading and spelling.
About one person in ten has it and there is a whole spectrum of dyslexia, from mild reading problems to seeing words jumping around on a page.
Nobody knows the exact cause, but it sometimes runs in families.
Scientists have found several genes which may be linked with dyslexia and research continues.
Dyslexia can affect people with all levels of intelligence, including the very bright.
But there’s often difficulty with short-term memory and getting numbers down in the right sequence, so others may wrongly assume the person is slow.
Dyslexia can be very frustrating and can make schoolwork hard. It’s often diagnosed at primary school.
Unfortunately nobody grows out of dyslexia, but specialist support helps.
This includes focusing on how letters (and words) sound and how they work when strung together.
Using all the senses to learn about a letter helps too, because kids remember best when they use more than one sense – it’s why tots touch everything and put stuff in their mouths.
Stars who overcame the reading disorder
WHEN Friends actress JENNIFER ANISTON was diagnosed with the dyslexia in her twenties, it was a big relief.
Jennifer, 46, has said: “I thought I wasn’t smart. I couldn’t retain anything. Now I had this discovery. I felt like all my childhood traumas, tragedies, dramas were explained.”
HAPPY DAYS star HENRY ‘THE FONZ’ WINKLER, 69, failed in school due to undiagnosed dyslexia. In 2011 he got an honorary OBE for his work with dyslexic children in Britain.
PRINCE Andrew’s elder daughter PRINCESS BEATRICE, 26, was diagnosed as a child. She delayed her GCSEs for a year but went on to pass three A-levels and graduate from uni.
ROCKER OZZY OSBOURNE, 66, is dyslexic and also suffered attention deficit disorder as a child. Hearing The Beatles’ She Loves You convinced him at 14 to be a musician.
NOEL GALLAGHER, 48, was the chief songwriter of Oasis despite his dyslexia. He once said: “I’ll give lyrics to Liam and the two key words of the sentence will be missing.”
DYSLEXIA made school tough for Hollywood hero TOM CRUISE, 53. He said: “I was a functional illiterate. I loved learning, I wanted to learn, but I knew I’d failed in the system.”
ENTREPRENEUR RICHARD BRANSON, 65, says his dyslexia made him a “dunce”. His headmaster said he’d either end up in jail or become a millionaire.