Anne Robinson doubles down on vicious comments about The Weakest Link contestants' looks - just as Countdown feud with Rachel Riley kicks off AGAIN

Daily Mail​

07-05-2025

Anne Robinson has doubled down on her famously vicious comments about The Weakest Link contestants' looks just days after her feud with Countdown star Rachel Riley kicked was reignited.
The 80-year-old - who presented the popular BBC show between 2000 and 2012, and again in 2017 - became known for some of her harsh words aimed at those who appeared on the programme.
Now, 25 years on from the first time she hosted The Weakest Link, she conceded that she probably wouldn't be able to get away with it anymore, but insisted that she was just vocalising widely held opinions.
Speaking to the Metro, Anne said: 'On The Weakest Link, what I was saying on television was exactly what your mum and your dad and your grandparents were saying to each other…
'I was just saying it out loud to millions of people, and you can't say that now.
'I mean, I used to be able to say to someone who was overweight, 'What do you do when you're not eating?', and you can't do that anymore.
'It's just a different time, isn't it?'
It comes after Rachel Riley took a brutal swipe at Anne.
The TV presenter, 39, spoke out about her rumoured rift with the quiz show veteran, 80.
After Anne recently admitted to telling Rachel to 'shut up' on the show's set, Rachel told The Sun: 'If Anne needs to mention me for publicity then good luck to her.
'I have the same opinion of her as most people do.'
Rachel went on to reveal she doesn't 'pay any attention to what she says'.
The presenter first joined Countdown back in 2009 at just 22 years old when she took over from Carol Vordman.
Almost 16 years on, Rachel is the show's resident mathematician.
Rachel's comments come after Anne opened up to the Telegraph last month about what really happened during her time hosting Countdown when the presenter quit the show after just a year back in 2022.
Anne was rumoured to have been involved in a rift with the show's other presenters Rachel Riley and Susie Dent, but attempted to shut down such speculation.
Speaking in an interview with the Telegraph, Anne denied a proper fall out between the pair as she explained: 'It's just a story. Rachel was a bit talkative when I was interviewing the contestants but once we shut her up it was fine.'
Anne also spoke bluntly on her thoughts on woke culture as she admitted: 'I loathe the woke terrorists who are sucking the life blood out of the country.'
Insisting that if she was still in comedy she would find a way around the 'woke restrictions', she added: 'Because if you're funny – properly funny – you can get away with a great deal, although there's not a lot of funny sharp women on TV anymore.'
Taking a jibe at presenter Stacey Solomon, the star also shared her views on the calibre of TV shows currently on air.
She added: 'I'm disappointed that by 9 O'clock, someone called Stacy [sic] is usually telling me how to tidy my wardrobe, I don't want to watch some semi famous person take me round the Scottish isles, there is a lot of TV that is c**p.'
The Weakest Link star previously revealed she quit Countdown over a pay dispute and confessed she insisted on 'noisy' Susie Dent and Rachel Riley 's mics being switched off.
She explained that despite being offered a pay rise, she did not want to join Channel 4 's payroll and so decided to walk away from her role as host.
Of the rift with her co-stars Rachel and Susie she admitted that she had been annoyed by their time-keeping and noisiness.
But she later said: 'They're both brilliant at what they do. I mean they really, really are. Channel 4 are incredibly lucky to have them. And there isn't a rift.
'It was me wanting everyone to be quiet in the studio. I like everyone turning up on time and quiet, quiet, quiet. So we did have to iron that out. But that's it.'
Meanwhile, Rachel seemed to acknowledge the feud between herself and Anne a fter she said the presenter 'might make you cry.'
Previously the maths whizz had said that Anne was 'not the cuddliest,' and after she left the show she admitted the atmosphere changed and became more fun once she was replaced by Colin Murray.
Rachel said: 'It's very different. Each presenter has their own style, and you don't always gel with everybody that you work with.
'Well, you're not going to get a sympathetic shoulder to cry on from Anne, but she might make you cry.'
The feud rumours were further fueled when Rachel took to Instagram to share a selfie smiling to the camera, while holding a glass of wine after Anne's departure was announced.
'Drinking a toast to the next chapter in Countdown history. I think you're going to like it,' she captioned the image.
Later while appearing on Piers Morgan's Uncensored, Anne shared: 'Susie Dent is great, Rachel Riley is completely brilliant at the maths.'