The journalist beat former bookies' favourites Sheree Murphy and Sid Owen, who finished in second and third place respectively.
Carol, nicknamed 'Thatch', became noted for her 'no nonsense' attitude to the many bush tucker trials, which included driving a van over a 100ft suspension bridge, swimming in a snake-infested swamp and eating a kangaroo's testicle.
"I said the other day if I won I would be amazed, astonished and gobsmacked," she said afterwards. "I'm all of those to the power of a hundred."
Thatch succeeds previous winners Tony Blackburn, Phil Tufnell, Kerry Katona and Joe Pasquale.
