Anne Robinson reveals she turned down return to The Weakest Link TWICE before quitting Countdown

ANNE Robinson said she twice turned down a return to The Weakest Link - the show that made her a megastar - saying she couldn't be as mean as she wanted.

The Channel 4 host, who became the first female to take on the role when she stepped into Nick Hewer’s shoes in June last year, announced earlier this week that she had quit.

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The TV star said she was offered her job back twice on BBC's The Weakest Link, but she said no and branded the revamped version "too woke".

"Wokeness has taken the heart out of comedy. Times have really changed," she told .

"I wouldn't want to be a cheesy game-show host, and that is what the BBC wanted.

"Where's the fun if you can't ask, 'What do you do when you're not eating?' or 'Have you had that hair cut for a bet?'

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"No one saw anything wrong with it, but you couldn't say it today."

The TV star played a mean version of herself on The Weakest Link during the early 2000s.

Anne was famously known for her straight-talking and brutal exchanges with contestants.

The Weakest Link reboot made its debut in December 2021 with a series of celebrity episodes and hosted by comedian Romesh Ranganathan.

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Funnyman Romesh previously said: "Anne was amazing at it, and she was a big reason why that show was so popular.

"But I don't think any good can come from trying to emulate that. And it's just me doing it my own way."

Anne announced  she will leave after just a year in the Countdown hot seat - months after The Sun revealed her feud with co-star Rachel Riley.

Announcing her departure, Anne - who was the sixth host of the Channel 4 quiz show - told the : "I've had a blast hosting this wonderful show.

"And I stayed longer than I signed up for. Now it is time for an older woman to take the reins.

"I hope too I've encouraged TV bosses to realise that not all women at the wrong end of their seventies are in care homes playing bingo and watching conjuring tricks.

"In fact the genius of Countdown is that it's a brilliant way to keep the brain exercised. I run 5k most days of the week.

"And I can now do an anagram at twice the speed I could this time last year.

"But I have grandchildren, a large garden and a home in New York, all deserving more of my attention."

Anne will remain on our screens until the summer.

Channel 4 says her replacement will be announced in due course.

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We revealed in November that Anne clashed with maths whizz Rachel, 35, over dressing rooms, make-up artists and wardrobe budgets backstage.

Channel 4 declined to comment at the time, but Anne later admitted: "I'm hard to please".

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