1. Anne Josephine Robinson was born on 26 September 1944 and is a British journalist and television presenter, best known as the host of BBC game show The Weakest Link from 2000 to 2012, and again in 2017 for a one-off celebrity special for Children in Need.
Anne Robinson presented the BBC consumer affairs programme Watchdog for a total of 15 years, from 1993 to 2001 and again from 2009 to 2015.
Anne Robinson left the programme on 13 July 2022 after one year, recording a total of 265 episodes.
Anne Robinson's mother, Anne Josephine, was an agricultural businesswoman from Northern Ireland, where she was the manager of a market stall.
Anne Robinson inherited the family market stall in Liverpool and transformed it into one of the largest wholesale poultry dealing businesses in the north of England.
Anne Robinson was hired as a chicken gutter and saleswoman during the holidays in the family business, before taking office jobs at a law firm.
On leaving school, Anne Robinson chose journalism over training for the theatre.
Anne Robinson's mother's going-away present to her daughter was an MG sports car and a fur coat.
Anne Robinson secured a permanent position as a result of scooping the details of the story of Brian Epstein's death from being a family friend of the Liverpool solicitor handling the legalities, offering him a ride to Euston railway station when he could not find an available taxi.
Anne Robinson's work became more uncomfortable for her when she met and fell in love with the deputy news editor, Charles Wilson; the couple married in 1968, but he subsequently had to terminate her employment because of the marriage.
Anne Robinson returned to Fleet Street in 1980, working as columnist and assistant editor of the Daily Mirror.
Anne Robinson wrote a column under the pseudonym of the "Wednesday Witch", in which she developed her vitriolic style.
On 14 November 1982, Anne Robinson attended a formal dinner attended by Queen Elizabeth II, at which she noted that Diana, Princess of Wales, arrived late.
Anne Robinson asked the Mirrors Royal editor James Whitaker to investigate and, after conversations with various sources including Diana's sister Lady Sarah McCorquodale, confirmed that Diana was suffering from an eating disorder, named as anorexia in a scoop article on 19 November 1982.
Anne Robinson was removed from the editorial rota, and was advised by Molloy to "do more television, blossom, that's what you're good at".
Anne Robinson has written weekly columns for a succession of other British newspapers, such as Today, The Sun, The Express, The Times, and The Daily Telegraph.
Anne Robinson began appearing on BBC television in 1982, initially as an occasional panellist on Question Time and presenting her 'TV Choice' on Breakfast Time.
Anne Robinson joined BBC Radio 4 to present the News Stand, Today and mid-week programme by deputising for main presenters Ian Hislop, Libby Purves and Michael Aspel for three years between 1985 and 1987 some time later she joined BBC Radio 2 by covering Derek Jameson's weekday breakfast show in May 1987 she returned to Radio 2 to present her own Saturday morning show from 1988 to 1993, she deputised for Jimmy Young on his weekday lunchtime show for 10 years between 1988 and 1998.
Anne Robinson originally started with an icy, mysterious appearance and persona, maintaining her deadpan delivery to funny and friendly moments throughout; however, she toned down her icy, deadpan approach over the years, with her often smiling, engaging, and on occasion, even laughing, especially on the celebrity editions.
The event eventually went ahead after Anne Robinson was escorted into the venue by local police.
Anne Robinson hosted the BBC's outtakes programme Outtake TV until 2009.
The BBC received 16 complaints after Anne Robinson asked wine connoisseur Olly Smith, who was competing on the celebrity version of The Weakest Link, to feel her breasts, after he described her as a "full-bodied, expensive red".
In 2009, Anne Robinson returned to presenting BBC One's long-running consumer show Watchdog.
Anne Robinson finished presenting The Weakest Link in 2012 after twelve years as the host of 1,693 shows.
Anne Robinson had presented Watchdog for a total of 15 years.
Anne Robinson said this incident led her to be "in despair".
In February 2021, Anne Robinson was announced as the next host of the game show Countdown, following the resignation of Nick Hewer.
In 1973, Anne Robinson lost a custody battle for Emma, her only child, then aged two.
An admitted alcoholic, Anne Robinson stopped drinking on 12 December 1978 after picking her daughter up from school and driving to a petrol station to buy a bottle of vodka, and then seeing her daughter cry as she drank it.
Anne Robinson was previously a smoker, and quit in 1991.
In 2001, Anne Robinson was diagnosed with skin cancer, and had surgery to treat it.
In 2017, Anne Robinson revealed that she had an abortion at the age of 23 when she was newly married.
Anne Robinson described feeling the "most terrible black doom" that lasted for months.
Anne Robinson shared her experience on the BBC Two documentary Abortion on Trial.
Anne Robinson later confirmed this in an interview for Saga Magazine in May 2024, clarifying that the couple had been dating for more than a year.