You ask the questions, of Carol Vorderman

(Such as: so what's the rudest word you've ever had to deal with on Countdown? And do you really do all those sums as quickly as it appears?)

The presenter Carol Vorderman was born on Christmas Eve in 1960 in Clwyd, North Wales. She attended a comprehensive school in Rhyl before going on to study engineering at Cambridge University when she was 17. In 1982, at the age of 21, Vorderman, who has an IQ of 154, was the first woman to be seen on Channel 4, as the resident statistician on the word-and-numbers quiz Countdown, presented by Richard Whiteley. Since then, she has presented the ITV children's series HOW 2!, Tomorrow's World, Star Lives and Better Homes. Vorderman has also published a number of books, including Dirty, Loud and Brilliant, Maths Made Easy and Carol Vorderman's Puzzle Challenge. Shortly before her 40th birthday, Vorderman famously turned up at the Baftas in "that" dress, and has since written a book on detox. She has two children and lives in Maidenhead.

Do you think you'll ever give up doing Countdown or will you still be doing it when you're 93?

D O'Connor, by e-mail

I doubt it. Even if I live to be 93, I'd consider myself very lucky. I will certainly be doing it for another two years because that's when my contract runs out. They've recently extended Countdown from half an hour to 45 minutes long, so now I'm forever going up and down the motorway and I'm beginning to find it quite difficult because of all the other things I do. So I don't know whether I'll carry on after the next couple of years, simply because physically, it's taking its toll. I love Countdown, but it has surprised me how physically exhausting I have begun to find it.

What's the rudest word or phrase you've ever had to deal with on Countdown?

Elaine Sundry, by e-mail

We've had it all over the years. The most famous one was "wankers" and one of the contestants actually declared it because it was the best word that they could come up with. Watching Richard trying to keep a straight face was very funny. The Daily Star pick up on them all the time – there's obviously someone there who watches it avidly. On one show, we had the word "arse" at the end of the row and then on the next we had "hole". It bypassed me completely; I only realised when I read it in the Star.

What do you think about the MMR jab?

K Peterson, by e-mail

My daughter, Katie, had it, and she was very, very ill. Since hearing from a number of friends whose children had problems after they had MMR, I decided not to give it to my son, Cameron. I think the Prime Minister should bloody well tell us the truth in this particular instance. It was introduced only 10 years ago; what happened before? We didn't all die – we had a mumps inoculation, rubella and you just got the measles. I really do have major doubts about its safety and I particularly regret the arrogant attitude of the Government – it's telling you it's safe, therefore you must accept it. How many times have we been told about BSE, foot and mouth, all the way back to thalidomide? We're not stupid. I think it should be investigated properly, it's a major issue.

I did your detox plan and really loved it. The only problem is that I had a lot of flatulence. What can I do to minimise it for next time?

Carl Myers, Teddington

It does happen and, unfortunately, there's not a lot you can do to prevent it. Just don't get into a lift if there's only one other person in it! I find that peppermint sometimes helps – an oil or a tea or something. It aids the whole digestive system and at least it smells sweeter.

Do you really do the sums as quickly as it appears on Countdown, or do they edit out all the gaps in between?

S Duval, Whitstable

It's as it is. If I can't do it, that's what I say, but I do get really annoyed with myself when I can't do it. I'd say I get it spot on about 90 per cent of the time and if I can't usually someone in the audience can.

Why do you support the News of the World's name-and-shame campaign, and are you generally in favour of vigilantism?

Carmen Byonder, London

No, absolutely not. I don't support the name-and-shame campaign; I support Sarah's law, which is a completely different issue. When I started to work on Tonight with Trevor McDonald, looking at paedophilia and the internet, what I have found is that the police, together with charities and other bodies, have been knocking the internet into slightly better shape. Before, it was roaming wild and no one was accepting any responsibility, and aside from the Internet Watch Foundation, there were no systems in place for regulation at all. At least now a task force has been set up by the Home Office, reviewing the whole thing. I've seen many things shown to me by the police and child protection units, and you just start to see the pattern. God help those kids – children as young as four and five; the intense psychological pressure they are under to keep quiet is unbelievable. I support Sarah's Law because of one question. Would you want to know if a paedophile lived next door to you? Of course you would. So the News of the World in that sense, along with the Paynes, has achieved a great deal. I know what the News of the World is but, in my small life, I just think if there is something good that they can achieve, then that's fine – particularly if it's for the protection of children. Life isn't black and white, it's very grey.

Could you please not be on television so much in the early afternoon? My husband will expect me to look that good when I'm your age... how DO you stay so good?!

Teresa Simms, by e-mail

That's very nice, thank you very much. I just think I look my age, and it's an age I'm very happy at. When you get to 40, people talk about it all the time. I was talking about it recently with my mate Carol Smillie; she hit 40 recently and was saying you just can't get away from it. I don't stay young, I stay happy.

Were you worried about wearing that famous little dress, and were you surprised at the attention it received?

P M Seymour, by e-mail

I thought it was a fantastic dress and I had a marvellous night in it. I was really surprised with all the attention it received. The Daily Mail didn't say they didn't like it, but instead said, "Thirty-nine, and wearing that dress!" I was sitting in make-up in Granada and there was a whole episode of Kilroy devoted to it – they'd even flown the dress in from Paris. My career has never actually been based on how I look so it's very much an added extra, so I found it all rather hysterical. I have worn it since but was told to take it off immediately. Every once in a while I put it on for mischief, just so everyone goes, "For God's sake Carol, get that bloody dress off."

My daughter has been advised by her school to apply to Cambridge University, even though she is only 16. I'm worried it would be a case of too much, too young. Can you give me any advice?

M Pope, Cardiff

I think it's depends very much on how mature she is for her age. I went when I was 17. I was at a comprehensive school and about 95 per cent of students [at university] then came from public school, but I found that they weren't as mature as those who'd come from a comprehensive. I did find it hard, though. I went to a very small school, so I only had A-levels in physics, maths and economics because those were the only subjects available. The other students had pure maths, applied maths and further maths A-levels, so in terms of knowledge they were a good six to 12 months ahead, which was a bit of a shock because I'd always found it so bloody easy. But that was over 20 years ago, so it's probably quite different now. If she's a mature 16-year-old, I see no problem at all. I was looked after very well, I loved it.

Richard Whitely, twice nightly. Is this true?

Maureen Bashly, by e-mail

I doubt it very much.

I know people who have become so health conscious that they have become annoying. They are no fun to go out with and extremely uptight and picky about what they eat. How do you enjoy being healthy without becoming a health freak?

P L Spencer, Brighton

Yes, I know people like that. With the detox, I only do it twice a year and the rest of the time I just half follow the plan. I think the thing is not to get hung up about what you're eating. What the detox does to me is changes what I want to eat because you can feel the effects on the body so much more. I can't have too many creamy things or buttery things anymore, because they actually make me feel a bit gaggy. I don't think it's the healthy way forward to be hung up about calories. I know a lot of people who obsess about what they eat just so they can go off and eat three chocolate bars. Since I started the detox a couple of years ago, I don't count calories, I don't go to the gym and I don't weigh myself. I just go by how my clothes fit me. I've got a special trying-on dress which lets me know if I've put on weight. Apart from that, I feel really good on it, the detox gives me energy, it gives me a clearer head and my skin looks better.

Has your life worked out the way you planned it?

Selina Bayels, Kent

I never planned it and I still don't. My advice is not to have a life plan. Although I'm booked on Countdown for a couple of years, I tend to plan about six months ahead. When I signed for five years, I didn't like that at all. It's a really weird sense to know what you're doing for the next five years. When you have children you do have to plan a bit more, but I still haven't got a life plan. It makes it more exciting, you come across things. I don't know if I'll still be doing TV in five years' time – I might go into politics. Who knows?

'Carol Vorderman's Detox for Life' is published on January 4, by Virgin Books, priced £10.99