Anne Robinson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anne Robinson
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Robinson in 2023
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| Born |
Anne Josephine Robinson
26 September 1944 Crosby, Lancashire, England
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| Occupation | Broadcaster, journalist |
| Years active | 1967–present |
| Television |
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| Spouse(s) |
Charles Wilson
(m. 1968; div. 1973)John Penrose
(m. 1980; div. 2007) |
| Partner(s) | Andrew Parker Bowles (2023–present) |
| Children | 1 |
Anne Josephine Robinson (born 26 September 1944) is a well-known journalist and television presenter from England. She is famous for hosting the exciting BBC game show The Weakest Link for many years. She also presented the consumer show Watchdog and the popular game show Countdown.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Anne Robinson was born in Crosby, Lancashire, England, on 26 September 1944. Her family had Irish roots. Her father was a schoolteacher. Her mother, Anne Josephine, was a clever businesswoman who managed a market stall in Northern Ireland. When she moved to England, she helped run a wholesale chicken business and later turned her family's market stall in Liverpool into a very successful poultry business.
Anne grew up in Crosby and went to a private Roman Catholic boarding school called Farnborough Hill Convent in Hampshire. During her school holidays, she helped out in the family business, even preparing chickens for sale. She also worked in law offices before starting her career in journalism. The family often spent their summer holidays in France, sometimes at the fancy Carlton Hotel in Cannes.
Career Highlights
Starting in Journalism
After finishing school, Anne decided to become a journalist instead of going into acting. She started working at a news agency. In 1967, she moved to London and became one of the first young female trainees at the Daily Mail newspaper. She quickly showed her talent by getting an important story about Brian Epstein's death, which helped her get a permanent job.
Later, she joined The Sunday Times. In 1977, she left The Sunday Times and then worked for the Liverpool Echo.
Newspaper Work
In 1980, Anne returned to London's famous Fleet Street to work for the Daily Mirror. She became a columnist and assistant editor. She also wrote a column under the funny name "Wednesday Witch," where she developed her sharp and direct writing style. She was very good at writing eye-catching newspaper headlines.
She worked closely with the Mirror boss, Robert Maxwell. She wrote about him after he passed away in 1991, calling him an "inspiration and my hero." She also wrote about the problems with the Mirror pension fund later, saying that many people should have been more careful.
In 1982, Anne reported an important story about Diana, Princess of Wales. She noticed Diana arrived late to a dinner with Queen Elizabeth II. After investigating, Anne confirmed that Diana was dealing with a health issue. This story was a big scoop for the Mirror.
Anne has also written weekly columns for many other British newspapers, including Today, The Sun, The Express, The Times, and The Daily Telegraph.
Television and Radio
Anne Robinson started appearing on BBC television in 1982. She was sometimes a guest on Question Time and presented a 'TV Choice' segment on Breakfast Time. From 1988, she became the permanent presenter of Points of View, a show where viewers shared their opinions on TV programmes, and she stayed for 11 years. In 1993, she began presenting and writing for Watchdog, a show that helps consumers with their problems.
She also worked on radio, presenting shows on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 2. She had her own Saturday morning show on Radio 2 from 1988 to 1993.
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Anne is most famous for hosting the game show The Weakest Link in the UK and the US. She became known for her serious and direct style, often asking tough questions and making sharp comments to contestants. Her famous catchphrase, "You are the weakest link – goodbye!", became very popular. Once, the Duke of Edinburgh asked her to present some awards, and she joked that she would, but only if he appeared on The Weakest Link!
In 2005, Anne appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, where she discussed the challenges she faced as a mother. Also in 2005, she had a fun cameo in an episode of Doctor Who called "Bad Wolf". She voiced a futuristic robot version of herself called the "Anne Droid" on a dangerous game show.
She also hosted the BBC's blooper show Outtake TV until 2009, a chat show called What's the Problem? With Anne Robinson, and the quiz show Test the Nation.
In 2009, Anne returned to present Watchdog again. She stopped hosting The Weakest Link in 2012 after 12 years and 1,693 shows. She left Watchdog for good in 2015, having presented it for a total of 15 years.
In 2016, Anne presented Anne Robinson's Britain for BBC One, a series that looked at different parts of British life, like parenting and people's love for pets.
In February 2021, Anne was announced as the new host of the game show Countdown. Her first episode aired on 28 June 2021. She had actually appeared on Countdown before, as a guest in the Dictionary Corner in 1987. In May 2022, it was announced she would be leaving the show after one year. Her last episode aired on 13 July 2022, having recorded 265 episodes.
Personal Life
Anne Robinson married journalist Charles Wilson in 1968. They had a daughter named Emma Wilson in 1970, who later became a radio DJ. Anne and Charles divorced in 1973.
In 1980, Anne married journalist John Penrose. They announced their plans to divorce in 2007. In 2001, Anne published her autobiography called Memoirs of an Unfit Mother, where she wrote about her early life and her marriages.
In 2001, Anne was diagnosed with skin cancer and had surgery to treat it.
Anne has two grandchildren. In December 2023, it was reported that she was in a relationship with Andrew Parker Bowles, who was previously married to Queen Camilla. Anne confirmed this in an interview in May 2024, saying they had been dating for over a year.
