Carol McGiffin secretly got married a year ago

Carol McGiffin secretly got married in Thailand a year ago.

The \'Loose Women\' star and her toyboy fiance Mark Cassidy, 36, tied the knot in a low key, intimate ceremony in Bangkok before spending the past 12 months celebrating with family and friends.

The 58-year-old broadcaster told Best magazine: "No one knew we were going to do it , but we\'ve basically spent the last year having separate celebrations with different friends and family, telling them all in person.

"Now they all know, we\'re ready for it to come out."

It\'s the third time the couple planned to get married, after arranging their wedding on two previous occasions.

They are now happily loved up and celebrating their first anniversary in Bangkok by revisiting the places they explored on their trip in 2018.

Regarding the first two attempts, Carol said: "We\'d booked a register office in London for 19 January 2017, but sadly my sister died five days earlier so, of course, we cancelled it.

"We re-booked it but then changed our minds because it still didn\'t feel right - it was too soon."

The pair have been engaged since 2008, and Mark stood by his now-wife\'s side during her breast cancer battle.

They eventually settled on holding a private wedding far away because plans "became too much" every time they tried to sort out a larger celebration.

Carol explained: "Part of the reason it took us so long to get married was because every time we discussed having a traditional wedding day with guests, it ran out of control and became too much."

And she has been fierce in her defence of their love despite the 22-year age gap in the past, and she insisted critics shouldn\'t be getting involved.

Carol previously argued: "Anyone who doesn\'t like the idea should shut their mouth, because it\'s not your life, it\'s ours. We\'re the only ones who need to worry about out ages."