Anne Robinson says she wouldn’t be allowed to call people fat on TV anymore

The former 'The Weakest Link' host left the show 13 years ago.

The 80-year-old rose to fame when she hosted the BBC quiz show 'The Weakest Link' from 2000 to 2012, which featured her making several sharp comments towards contestants.

The show was launched in the US in 2001.

Her latest presenting job is for the programme 'You Be the Judge: Crime & Punishment', which differs a bit from her quiz show days.

Speaking to Metro, she said: "I love the documentary. I got rather side-tracked by creating this character for [The Weakest Link] that I took to America.

"Very nicely, I earned a great deal by the fact that it was thought I had created the character. By the time we’d signed the contract, it was too late for them to realise it was just me."

Robinson made a reputation on the show as a no-nonsense host who would sometimes comment on contestants' personal appearance.

In one such instance, she asked a woman who worked in the food industry, "Do you have to taste the products? Is that why you’re a bit overweight?"

Speaking all these years later, she defends the way she spoke to contestants.

She explains: "On The Weakest Link, what I was saying on television was exactly what your mum and your dad and your grandparents were saying to each other… I was just saying it out loud to millions of people, and you can’t say that now.

"I mean, I used to be able to say to someone who was overweight, 'What do you do when you’re not eating?', and you can’t do that anymore. It’s just a different time, isn’t it?"

Robinson said that she wants to work on a programme highlighting discrimination, particularly towards women in the workplace.

She added: "I still think girls are way behind when it comes to job interviews and asking for the money they really want.

"I’d rather like to do a programme teaching girls to negotiate.

"We just need to get girls tougher to face what they’re facing. There’s still loads of discrimination."