Carol Patricia Smillie (born 23 December 1961) is a Scottish television personality, model and actress. Smillie is probably best known for presenting the award winning BBC series Changing Rooms, winning Smillie a National Television Award for Most Popular Factual Programme in 1998.

She rose to prominence in 1989 when she became the hostess in the British version of the international television game show Wheel of Fortune. Smillie achieved further recognition in the Nineties when she appeared on the BBC television channel, firstly as a reporter on The Travel Show, and then Holiday, often fronting the programme. It was the DIY programme Changing Rooms though that established her name, and led to Smillie presenting other primetime shows for the BBC, such as the National Lottery and her own morning chat show Smillie's People.

Smillie continues to present television shows, mainly on the STV channel, but in recent years has moved into other areas of entertainment. Smillie has appeared on the stage in theatre productions of The Vagina Monologues, (2006 and 2007), and Hormonal Housewives (2010), touring both plays around Scotland. Between 2007 and 2010, Smillie was the figurehead campaign model for the Scottish company The Edinburgh Woollen Mill, Currently, alongside her daughter Christie, she is the advertising model for the Ortak jewellery company, fronting the companies new range for Autumn/Winter 2010. Smillie is also the co-author of Carol Smillie's Working Mum's Handbook.

Smillie is also famous for her smile, which was caricatured by the British impressionist Ronni Ancona in the UK television show Big Impression. Ancona's impression of Smillie used the catchphrase "I’m Smiley Smiley Carol Smillie", which Smillie adopted and has entered into popular culture when referencing her.

Early Life more less

Carol Patricia Smillie was born in Glasgow, the daughter of George Smillie, an electrical engineer and Isobel Smillie. Smillie is the youngest of four siblings, with two sisters and a brother. Smillie had a happy idyllic childhood growing up in a three-bedroom bungalow in Glasgow, sharing a room with her two older sisters. Smillie’s earliest memories are of having her nappy changed and, when put in her pram to go to sleep, being frightened by the wallpaper, which she finds amusing considering her later fame with the television programme Changing Rooms.

As a child, Smillie attended Simshill Primary School, which was very close to where she lived. She then attended the independent fee paying Hutchesons' Grammar School. Smillie realised that it was a huge financial effort by her parents to send her there, but academically she did not shine. Smillie eventually attained seven O-levels, fabric and fashion being one, which was the direction she felt her career would lead. She left the following year with three Highers, but she needed five to get into the Glasgow School of Art, where she believed her talents and interests could be developed. Smillie studied at Langside College to get the other two, but only managed to get one, which she has attributed to too much freedom and enjoying herself with her friends. Undeterred, she was still resolute in her aim to study at Art School, so she spent another year at Cardonald College, where she did not know anyone, and this time really applied herself to her schooling, finally achieving the results she needed to pursue her dream of attending the Glasgow School of Art.

At 18 years of age, Smillie embarked on her first year at the Glasgow School of Art , studying Art, Design and Fashion, with the vague idea of becoming a fashion designer. On arriving there, she spent the year unsure what it was she really wanted to do with her life. Surrounded by punk students sporting green hair and pink shoes, Smillie felt she didn’t really fit into this mode of life. To subsidise her studies Smillie worked in a cocktail bar, and after approaching a local Glasgow model agency, took up part-time modelling. Her art tutor was into abstract art, which was an area that didn’t really work for Smillie, “Throwing paint at a wall, wasn’t what I expected”. Another tutor told her, "If I were you, I'd stick with modelling. You can do art at any time". Smillie believing that this was his way of saying, "I don't think you've got what it takes", decided to leave the Glasgow School of Art, and embarked on modelling as her new career.

Smillie left the agency she had been working for whilst at college, and joined the Best Modelling Agency, run by Fiona Best an ex-model. Not tall enough at 5 ft 5in, she wasn’t suitable for catwalk modelling, and was employed mainly for photo shoots and promotional work. Smillie worked for the agency throughout the eighties becoming one of Fiona Best’s favourite models, due to her professional attitude and reliability, something a number of the other agency models lacked. Smillie met her husband Alex Knight, also a former model, through Fiona's agency and at one point they even considered buying the business, but they decided against it as Smillie realised that looking after a group of young models was not something she wished to take on. Through the agency Carol achieved her breakthrough, when at the age of 27 she successfully auditioned for the hostess job on the Wheel of Fortune game show, launching her television career.

Television more less

Radio more less

Model more less

In her early years, before she became famous, Smillie was a well travelled model on the Exhibition circuit and occasional lingerie model. It is often stated that Smillie was one of the famous Tennent's Lager girls (a successful marketing promotion in Scotland which saw pictures of young women on the backs of cans of the lager). Smillie was quoted in The Independent newspaper on 2 October 2006 stating that this was a common misconception about her.

Smillie has continued to model occasionally since her rise to fame. Between 2007-2010 Smillie was the figurehead model for the Scottish company The Edinburgh Woollen Mill. Smillie featured in six seasonal catalogues, and her image was used extensively to promote the range of clothing throughout The Edinburgh Woollen Mill stores and on the company website.[2]

Smillie appeared in the catalogue for the 2007/08 Autumn/Winter collection and featured in their advertising campaign, appearing in a televised Christmas commercial for the company.[3] In February 2008, The Edinburgh Woollen Mill released their Spring/Summer 2008 catalogue (Summer Essentials) featuring Smillie. The shots for the catalogue were filmed in South Africa, with Smillie modeling swimwear again for the first time in over twenty years. Smillie stated "I thought my swimwear modeling days were over. It was a treat to fly to South Africa and leave the cold, wind and rain". Carol Smillie Returns To Modelling - The Sunday Mail In May 2008, Smillie featured in another Edinburgh Woollen Mill television advert, promoting their Spring/Summer 2008 catalogue. In August 2008, Smillie continued to model for The Edinburgh Woollen Mill, appearing in their Autumn/Winter 2008/09 catalogue. In February 2009, Smillie again modeled for The Edinburgh Woollen Mill, featuring in their Spring/Summer 2009 catalogue . Smillie flew to Cape Town South Africa for the photo shoot. Smillie documented her experiences on this trip in a short film.In August 2009, Smillie was once again modeling for The Edinburgh Woollen Mill, featuring in their Autumn/Winter 2009/10 catalogue, the photographs taken in Leeds. Smillie again appeared in a short film detailing the photo shoot. Smillie's sixth catalogue shoot for The Edinburgh Woollen Mill, was once again filmed in South Africa, for the companies Spring/Summer 2010 collection.