Countdown cast ‘very relieved’ after Anne Robinson resigns as Channel 4 presenter

Anne Robinson told bosses last weekend she would not be renewing her one-year, £500,000 contract, saying it was taking up too much of her time.

Anne Robinson’s decision to quit Countdown has led to a sigh of relief after alleged ties to Rachel Riley and Susie Dent left bosses fearing they might quit.

The Weakest Link presenter, 77, complained that the math Rachel gave was “too noisy”.

Her predecessors as presenter include Sir Trevor McDonald, Richard Osman, who recently left Pointless, and BBC star Fiona Bruce.

An insider said: “Everybody is so relieved, to be honest. It was all a disaster with fallout clouds and noise, we just wanted to draw a line under it and move on.”

At one point, Anne is said to have insisted that Rachel’s microphone be muted so she alone could speak to the contestants before the show began.

Yesterday, many fans made it clear that they did not regret seeing the back of the former journalist, who was considered “unlikable and aggressive”. One quipped: “Anne, you are the weakest link, goodbye.”

Another concurred: “I hate the way she mocks the contestants.”

A former viewer said: “I might start watching again if they get a suitable replacement. She is horrible.”

Filming began in June with the bosses said to be setting up the hostname.

Comedian Romesh Ranganathan and former This Morning favorite Fern Britton are strong contenders, with Eamonn Holmes and Moira Stuart also potential replacements.

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Anne told bosses last weekend she would not renew her £500,000 year-long contract, saying it was taking too long.

She left the show with the highest viewership ratings since 2012.

But the recent average of 280,000 viewers is a far cry from 2008, when the average audience was 1 million.

Anne insists talk of her relationship rift with Rachel, 36, and Dictionary Corner’s Susie, 57, has been exaggerated.

But she admits: “She’s loud, she and Susie are both – they’re a formidable couple. But it doesn’t matter that I go for the rift, it’s pointless. ”

For her part, Rachel is said to have found Anne “unapproachable and mean”.

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