Early Life and Modeling
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 an idyllic childhood in Glasgow, sharing a room with her two older sisters.
Smillie attended Simshill Primary School. She then attended the independent Hutchesons' Grammar School. Academically she did not shine there, although eventually attaining seven O-levels, including fabric and fashion. She left the following year with three Highers, but needed five to get into the Glasgow School of Art. Smillie studied at Langside College, but only managed one more, which she has attributed to too much freedom and enjoying herself. Undeterred, she spent another year at Cardonald College, finally achieving this goal.
At age 18, Smillie embarked on her first year at the Glasgow School of Art, studying Art, Design and Fashion, with the idea of becoming a fashion designer. Smillie felt she didn’t really fit in with the typical punk students sporting green hair and pink shoes. To subsidise her studies Smillie worked in a cocktail bar, modelling part-time. Smillie left to embark on modelling as her career.
Smillie joined the Best Modelling Agency, run by Fiona Best. Too short at 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) for catwalk modelling, she worked for photo shoots and promotions. Smillie worked for the agency throughout the eighties. Smillie met former model and her future husband Alex Knight through Fiona's agency. Her breakthrough came at age 27 when she successfully auditioned for the hostess job on the Wheel of Fortune game show.
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