Rachel Riley hits out at Anne Robinson’s brutal criticism of her Countdown behaviour
Countdown star Rachel Riley has hit out at former host Anne Robinson after she criticised her on-set behaviour.
Former Weakest Link host Robinson, 80, presented the Channel 4 game show for just one year, from 2021 to 2022, joining regulars Riley and Susie Dent
During Robinson’s time on the show, there were several reports that she was feuding with Riley, who joined the series in 2009, replacing Carol Vorderman.
It was claimed that Riley, 39, considered “walking away” from the show due to rising tensions with Robinson, which allegedly created an “awkward and uncomfortable atmosphere” on set.
While the pair were initially complimentary of each other, Riley soon admitted she hadn’t “done much bonding” with Robinson, who replaced Nick Hewer.
Following this, Robinson called out Riley for “distracting” her by talking in the background while she was interviewing the show’s contestants.
In a recent interview with The Telegraph, Robinson denied having a feud with Riley, but said: “Rachel was a bit talkative when I was interviewing the contestants but once we shut her up it was fine.”
Riley has now addressed Robinson’s comments, saying at the Women’s Football Awards last week: “If Anne needs to mention me for publicity then good luck to her.”
The Sun reports Riley as saying: “I have the same opinion of her as most people do. I don’t pay any attention to what she says.”
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Robinson became notorious for her scathing remarks directed at contestants when she presented BBC series The Weakest Link from 2000 to 2012.
Her signature presenting style was controversial, with some fans finding her jibes hilarious and others believing the “Queen of Mean” went too far with her comments.
In January, Robinson explained that she decided to take a more brutal approach after meeting “real quizzers” and learning they were “ruthlessly competitive” and ready to criticise one another.
Reflecting on her stint on the show in an interview with The Oldie last year, Robinson said that she would “never be able” to behave in the same way if she was presenting the show now.
“You’d never be able to say all that now,” she claimed. “Half of it would be stamped out. I always thought the contestants would feel short-changed if I were nice.”
