Anne Robinson’s most cutting jibes revealed from Vanessa Feltz racism row to dig at Eamonn Holmes’ parenting skills
ANNE Robinson is renowned for her brusque manner and un-woke jokes which on occasion have got her into hot water.
Now it’s emerged she’s feuding with Countdown co-star Rachel Riley, 35, and apparently muted the glam maths whizz’s mic because her banter with contestants was “too loud”.
The Weakest Link host, 77, has also taken issue with Rachel allegedly turning up late and being on her phone.
Meanwhile Rachel says she’s been “silenced”, with a TV insider admitting it’s safe to say there’s “no love lost” between the pair.
It’s not the first time Anne has stirred the pot with a fellow celebrity – or even had a pop at a member of the public who dared to go on one of her game shows.
Here we take a look at other times her controversial quips and no nonsense attitude have sparked outrage.
Vanessa Feltz ‘racism’ claim
Earlier this year Vanessa Feltz claimed she was on the receiving end of a jibe from Anne during filming of a Weakest Link celebrity special 15 years ago.
In a scene cut from the final version which went to air in 2006, Anne reportedly asked the TV personality: “Vanessa Feltz, looking the way you do, how do you think you land all these big black boyfriends?”
Recounting the alleged incident, Vanessa said: “I said, ‘I don’t think you will use that in the show as it’s racist and also completely inaccurate and in every way unsuitable’.
“And they didn’t use it. I thought it was very ill-judged and they must have agreed as it wasn’t aired.”
Vanessa, 58, is engaged to Nigerian-British singer-songwriter Ben Ofoedu, after they met on Big Brother in 2001. He proposed in 2006 but they’re yet to tie the knot.
Speaking to The Sun about Vanessa’s complaint, Anne admitted she was surprised to discover was so offended.
She said: “What I actually said to her was: ‘How can someone like you attract gorgeous black boyfriends?’
“First of all, she’d talked endlessly about doing just that, secondly it’d taken her 16 years to discover she was upset about it, and maybe if I had a radio show to promote I might have done the same.
“I’m not complaining about it, but it wasn’t quite what I said. I think she came twice on The Weakest Link and we certainly heard nothing for 16 years.
“I probably couldn’t say it now, but it wasn’t derogatory except to her.”
Eamonn Holmes fatherhood jibes
Anne’s acid tongue saw her get on the wrong side of This Morning favourite Eamonn Holmes after she accused him of “sacrificing fatherhood for fame.”
She made the jibe after he became a TV star in England while his children still lived at home in Belfast
The father-of-five, 61, was furious at the “inaccurate” comment and set the TV host straight when he confronted her at an airport and threatened to “knock her head off”.
He told RTÉ One’s The Meaning of Life: “This is coming from a man who would fly back from London for his kids’ school sports days, who would take the last flight out of Belfast at 10 o’clock at night when he’d tucked them up in bed at 8pm, you know, who just was there for them all the time at every need for them.
“And this is the man who went into an airport lounge one Sunday morning, very, very early in Belfast, and there was one other person in that lounge and it was Anne Robinson.
“I walked over to her and I simply said, very coldly and heartfelt meant, ‘if you were a bloke, I would knock your f*****g head off. I just want you to know that’.”
Eamonn said Anne replied she was “only joking”, but later apologised for her comments while sitting on a plane together, and he forgave her.
Calling Clare Balding fat
Another of Anne’s celebrity Weakest Link targets was sports presenter Clare Balding, whom she referred to as “chunky”.
But it appears the pair have since buried the hatchet, with Clare praising her in a 2014 interview with The Times.
She said: “[Anne is] fantastic. Very supportive. She wrote me the funniest letter.”
What was in said letter has not been shared by either Clare or Anne.
ASBO barb to Weakest Link single mum
Getting a public grilling by Anne was par for the course on the Weakest Link, but some fans felt she had overstepped the mark when she took aim at a contestant’s children.
The telly host was seen asking single mum Ann “how many ASBOs” (anti-social behaviour orders) her boys had in a recently resurfaced clip.
Anne then clarified what she meant to the confused mum, adding: “How many of your three boys have got tags on their ankles?”
When she replied none, Anne exposed the fact she was on benefits and asked her if she had “turned lesbian” after two failed marriages.
Members of the public who saw the clip when it did the rounds on social media were horrified.
One said: “I can’t believe this – it’s so cruel and crass. Outright bullying.”
Another questioned how the exchange was allowed to air in the first place, and why producers thought it was acceptable.
Mocked contestant’s sexuality
Another Weakest Link contestant, Benjamin Butterworth, also experienced the sharp end of Anne’s tongue.
Just 18 at the time, he said Anne “mocked” his sexuality, asking: “Do you like girls, Benjamin?”
After an awkward few moments, they then briefly discussed his love of politics, before Anne probed: “Have you ever formed a coalition, Benjamin?”
Writing in the , he said: “The point of the scripted joke is clear: I’m gay, geeky and a virgin. And for the record, only two of those things were true.”
Thankfully the segment never aired, but Benjamin said he feared for a month it would make the cut and that his grandma would see it.
Referring to Anne’s alleged “persona” in response to her landing the Countdown gig, he said: “The defence of Robinson has always been that she was playing a character. That it was all pantomime. But contestants like me, on the receiving end of those nasty and often snobby attacks, were not playing a character.”
‘Are you a lesbian?’
In another very un-PC interaction during her stint on the Weakest Link, Anne joked a contestant must be a lesbian because of the way she dressed.
Milkmaid Sarah was left baffled when Anne commented on her pink top saying: “Are you lesbian?”
When she confirmed she was not, Anne fired back: “Why are you dressed like a lesbian?”
Anne then questioned why farm worker Sarah didn’t have big muscles.
She concluded: “Let me get this straight. You do lesbian chic, you’ve left England and you’re in Cardiff delivering milk. Are you on medication?”
At the time the BBC came under fire but defended Anne, arguing it was all “tongue in cheek”.
A BBC statement said: “Anne is never afraid to tackle any subject and contestants are fully aware that the nature of all the chats is very tongue-in-cheek, and reflects the tone of the show.”
‘Lumpy and ugly’ jibe
Another contestant felt the wrath of Anne after revealing she was a beauty therapist.
Unsuspecting Marilyn was stunned when Anne remarked: “You’ve not got round to working on yourself?”
The beautician emphasised that she did a number of therapies to help others feel better about themselves.
Anne hit back: “My name’s Marilyn. I’m a bit lumpy and ugly. What can you do to counsel me?”
When Marilyn suggested Anne could focus on her better points, the host bluntly asked her if she had any.
‘Binned’ the Welsh
During an appearance on Room 101, Anne angered the Welsh population with a rude remark.
She branded them “irritating” and “annoying” when she choose to banish them on the game show.
An Ofcom investigation found her remarks did not constitute racism and were in the “long tradition” of banter between nations.
When asked about the comments later, Anne claimed she wished she’d been meaner.
She told : “My biggest regret is that I was not ruder about the Welsh when I appeared on Room 101. I wouldn’t marry one or have one in the house.”
She added: “I was a bit surprised by all the fuss made over my comments. It was a joke. The Welsh and Liverpudlians are always doing it. It has been a great source of material on the Weakest Link and if I were ever to go on Room 101 again, I would definitely bin the Welsh again.”
