COUNTDOWN’S Anne Robinson has revealed the outrageous secret condition behind her Channel 4 salary.
Anne took over presenting duties from Nick Hewer on the Channel 4 show last year.
Anne, 77, had previously hosted shows including The Weakest Link, where she would wink at the end of each episode as she said goodbye.
The move has become synonymous with the presenter and she has revealed how she told Channel 4 bosses it would cost them £100 a wink if they wanted her to incorporate into her Countdown gig.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, she said: “I told them I get paid £100 per wink.
“I said, ‘It’s going to cost you £100 a show’. ‘We film five shows a day, so that’s 15 shows a week, and an extra £1,500.”
Read More on Countdown
back to work
Countdown viewers all say the same thing as Rachel Riley makes epic return
Last year, The Celeb Report revealed how Anne and co-star Rachel Riley had clashed over dressing rooms, make-up artists and wardrobe budgets backstage on the Channel 4 quiz show.
Rachel, 36, has since said Anne is “very matter of fact” and Anne has also spoken about her colleague.
During an interview with Rachel Johnson, Anne was asked directly about the feud and she said: “They’re brilliant – both of them actually.
“Every time I’m astonished how she [Rachel] does that adding up and subtracting – just seconds, absolutely seconds, amazing.”
But she added later: “I hope I’m always described as difficult, awkward, tricky, impatient, menopausal, any sort of pejorative, grumpy.”
When she was asked if she was ‘bitchy’, she replied: “not particularly – hard to please.”
Her admission came after Rachel spoke to OK! Magazine about Anne’s time on Countdown, after the former Weakest Link host took over from Nick Hewer in June.
She said: “She found her feet very quickly and soon made the show her own. She’s comfortable bantering with the contestants.
“She’s called out some comedians and you can tell they’re up for a fight. They come in with their lines prepared. She’s not known for suffering fools gladly.”
Countdown airs weekdays at 2.10pm on Channel 4.
