Anne Robinson: Rachel Riley speaks out amid reported feud between ex-Countdown colleagues - what did Anne say about Rachel?
Countdown star Rachel Riley has responded after the show’s ex-host Anne Robinson slammed the star for her behaviour on-set.
Robinson, 80, hosted the Channel 4 quiz-show from 2021 until 2022, joining Riley and linguistics expert Susie Dent on the show. However, her tenure only lasted one year amid reports of a feud with the resident mathematician Riley.
Riley, 39, reportedly considered walking away from her role on the show due to the frosty relationship between the two, which reportedly created an “awkward and uncomfortable atmosphere” in the studio. However, Riley later admitted that she hadn’t “done much bonding” with Robinson, compared to the previous host Nick Hewer.
Years after the pair parted way, Robinson seemingly reignited the feud between herself and Riley while speaking to The Telegraph. In a recent interview, the TV presenter, who grew to TV fame on The Weakest Link in the early 2000s, pushed aside rumours of a “rift” but admitted that she “shut her up” while on set.
She said: "Rachel was a bit talkative when I was interviewing the contestants but once we shut her up it was fine."
Robinson said she insisted on having Riley and Dent’s microphone switched off while she was presenter due to their alleged disruptiveness. She also singled the pair out for being late to set.
However, the star also complimented both Riley and Dent for their work on the show, saying: "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."
Robinson’s comments reached Riley at the Women’s Football Awards on Thursday evening (May 1), who was quizzed for her response. Riley told reporters at the event: “If Anne needs to mention me for publicity then good luck to her. I have the same opinion of her as most people do.”
She added: "I don't pay any attention to what she says."
In her Telegraph interview, Robinson also took aim at current TV trends, appearing to single out Stacey Solomon’s recent work on her NTA-winning makeover show Sort Your Life Out. She said: "I'm disappointed that by 9 o'clock, someone called Stacy 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."