Appearance is crucial... Not only do producers not hire fat women, women don’t like looking at them on TV
Soon to return as ‘Queen of Mean’ on TV quiz show The Weakest Link, Anne Robinson tells about the joys of being a granny and the pressure on women in TV other tricks, like being able to write a no-hopers class, and worked so hard Glamorous and slim, she declares script, so that helps give you for them. He was very proud of me the only time she feels old is when longevity.” and watched all my programmes she’s conscious she’s hard of hearing
Clearly relishing her return to The until, in his seventies, he admitted – she wears a hearing aid. Weakest Link – she’s considering an he couldn’t see anything without a “I’m not trying to look young, but I offer to present a new celebrity magnifying glass. care about how I look. Appearance version of the series next year – she “It turned out he had cataracts, is crucial in this TV business promises to be ‘meaner than ever’. which were removed after a because there’s a huge prejudice
“Age hasn’t mellowed me at all. 10-minute procedure, but for far too [against] fat women. Not only do Ironically, I was originally hired for long he’d suffered a limited life and television producers not hire fat the show because they thought I’d fear of going blind because he women, women don’t like looking at be ‘sympathetic enough to soften hadn’t had regular eye tests which fat women on TV,” she declares. “I the blow’ when contestants got could have discovered them.” had a face lift in 2004 and I don’t voted off. I quickly realised it was Her zeal for the campaign is smoke, don’t drink or eat sugar. I much more fun to be tough, rude heightened because she’s a grandmother run and have a trainer.” and acerbic, rather than cheesy”. – the report recommends She says she has no regrets about
Anne is an eye health ambassador children have regular eye tests from her life but has one as yet unfulfilled for the Royal National Institute of the age of three. She’s close to her ambition, brought into sharp focus Blind People and Specsavers, which only child, Emma, from her first by the recent outcry over women’s has just released a report revealing marriage to former Times editor pay at the BBC. that half the cases of sight loss in the Charlie Wilson, and devoted to “I’d like to go out and teach UK could be avoided by us all having grandsons Hudson, eight, and women how to negotiate their pay. eye checks every two years. Parker, seven. I’m constantly in despair that,
“My father Bernard inspired my “I’m a very good granny, far better generally, women are hopeless at it. involvement. He was a wonderful at that than I was a mother, and Young women have a belief that they teacher, always given charge of the regard our relationship as a have to say ‘yes’ to the first thing wonderful second chance for me. I that’s offered! In fact, that’s just the babysit them, take them on holiday start of the game,” says Anne and adore their company. Our exasperatedly. generation don’t want to be thought “I come from a trading family of as ‘grannies’ which doesn’t seem where we talked money all the time, to fit our image, so they call me so I’m not embarrassed by it. I’d be ‘Nonni’ the Italian word for grandparent,” much more embarrassed not to she says with a fond smile. drive for a good deal. You have to
“Round them I’m a real softie, but have a poker face, take it slowly, and I’m not allowed to spoil them – have a bit of nerve,” she adds – and mothers today are so serious and this is clearly her motto for life. hardcore with charts for everything, from poo to meals – but I do occasionally let them have TV and warn them not to let on to mummy.”