Carol Vorderman has been celebrating the extraordinary acts of ordinary people at the annual Pride of Britain Awards for 26 years now. As she chats to OK! about the upcoming ceremony, which tends to deliver as many tears as it does rounds of applause, the former Countdown star, 64, reveals "nothing comes close" to giving her what she gets from the month she's immersed in the Awards, each and every year.

"It's been more than half of my adult life now, and every year is like a reset for me. Some people's year might 'start' in September when the schools go back, mine starts in October when it's Pride of Britain time," she tells OK!. "I'm a big list-maker, and there are different categories in life, like health, wealth, career, the kids, family, friends, social media and fitness and when Pride Of Britain comes around, it doesn't just affect the career box, it affects all of it, and it's the only bit of work that does. It's a reboot, a time to think, 'What are the important things in life?'"

Moreover, her knowledge of past winners and nominees is almost encyclopaedic, which isn't a total surprise given Carol's mathematical brain.

That said, there are a few who still stand out, such as Jean Forrest, a foster mum who won the Careworker of the Year award in 2000, and civil rights activist Dr Paul Stephenson, who was presented with the Lifetime Achievement by actor-comedian Lenny Henry in 2017.

The stories and people have changed, Carol says, but the spirit of the Awards hasn't. While she knows "no one is indispensable", she wants to remain a part of them for many years to come. "It's not a job you do lightly, and I am so, so grateful for it, especially now with all the turbulence in the world," she explains, quietly.

"It's an incredible reminder of the goodness of people. There is a lot of darkness in the world, so the good things need to be shouted about. Standing up for what you believe in is the only way to make change, and every single one of our award winners has done that -- even though they're always, always so modest about it."

She also loves the mix of celebrity and expert judges, which this year includes Coleen Rooney, Michael Sheen, Lucy Bronze, Pete Wicks and Kate Garraway, from the celeb side, and former Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy and Professor Kamila Hawthorne, a GP, as experts. But her favourite part, she laughs, is meeting the "youngsters" on the panel, especially those she admits she's "never heard of".

"I know it sounds a bit perverse but I love meeting the ones I maybe don't know, because I've met most of the oldies like me many times before. I remember when [the YouTube star] KSI was a judge, I said to him, 'Should I call you Mr K?' I had no idea he was world famous, so it was fascinating getting to know him. I like the inter-generational element of it a lot."

She's also developed a genuine and deep bond with her fellow host Ashley Banjo, 37, who joined her in 2021. They met after Carol struck up a friendship in the I'm A Celebrity jungle with Ashley's brother Jordan, and he's become a welcome addition not only in her life in general, but with their co-hosting duties too.

"I think there's a great inter-generational respect there between us, and I love that," she smiles. "I think you can learn a lot from other people, older and younger. My mum lived with me for over 30 years until she died eight years ago, and I know she learned from my kids, and my kids learned from her. We came as a foursome. I'm a great believer in that kind of living.

"My son still lives with me, very happily -- we laugh every day and we never argue or even exchange a cross word. It's quite normal in a lot of places in Asia, and in the Mediterranean. But in the UK, we have this idea that you have to leave your home when you hit 18 and only speak once a week on a Sunday."

Her return to the red carpet comes after what has been a difficult year for Carol, who was awarded an MBE for services to broadcasting in 2000.

She made a shock announcement in October last year that she was stepping down from her Sunday LBC radio show after a "health scare". She confessed she felt "fed up" having to make the decision, but wanted to redress her work-life balance.

One year on, it's been a longer road than anticipated for her to, as she puts it, "get her mojo back". "This year has been a bit hellish healthwise," she shares. "I've been very poorly, not related to the burnout but something entirely different. I'm on the right medications now, but it's only in the last month or so that I felt I've got my mojo back. So watch out, world!"

She's also been refuelling her life in other ways. "I've had lots of mini-breaks and holidays with friends -- gay friends, female friends I've had for 50 years, or some I've known for 10. I've been back to horse racing, I've travelled to the States, to France, to everywhere, actually!"

She's also reached a point in life where she is happy to cherish those who feed her soul. "Going back and seeing old friends has been wonderful. And the right friends, too. I think I've managed to drop all the bad ones. It's easy to forget how much your old friends love you. I've had messages to say, 'Oh, come and stay in our villa', or 'Come and visit us on our boat'. It's lovely to be so loved, really."

Twice married-and-divorced Carol almost broke the internet a few years ago when she addressed her views on romantic relationships. During an appearance on This Morning, she revealed she preferred to have a set of "special friends" to a singular, exclusive, monogamous relationship. Given the subsequent furore and lingering fascination with her love life, does she ever regret being so honest?

"It really did a few headlines and I couldn't understand why, because at that point I'd been practising it for a decade," she laughs. "I'd say I've been single for 15 years, and I've had some fantastic adventures and I've loved it."

Delving further into her reasoning, she adds, "My brain never stops, and my capacity for adventure is huge. So, I don't ever want to ask someone else again for permission to do something. It's just not my nature. I've been married, I was happily married and I've got wonderful children.

"I have so much love in my life, and people who will come on adventures with me. I've got one friend who goes to the International Space Station every year, so I get a couple of phone calls from there. It's wonderful! And I'm doing nothing wrong, because I'm single."

As we spoke to Carol ahead of her triumphant red carpet return to celebrate all that's inspiring in Britain, the next thing to tick off her list was... the outfit. After last year's showstopping, floor-length mirrored gown we have high expectations, we tell her.

"Well, I've bought a beautiful but very modest dress, so I'm going to put that forward as an option, but I've no idea if the stylist has other ideas," she laughs. "I don't particularly enjoy getting dressed up any more, because I'm older now. I used to be quite a flamboyant dresser.

"I mean, I'd love to be out there in the shortest dress or dressed top-to-toe in leather," she says jokingly, before quickly adding, "Oh, not for Pride of Britain of course! But maybe one day I'll do that again, who knows?!"

Pride of Britain's Carol Vorderman defiant over romantic liaisons while being single for 15 years - The Mirror