People shocked by clip of Anne Robinson ripping into contestant on Weakest Link

Back in the day, Anne Robinson was one of the most feared women on television. Here's a fine example of why:

The presenter hosted The Weakest Link from 2000 to 2012, and made a career out of her ruthless comments to contestants.

And if one exchange personifies her style, or lack thereof, it's probably the one she had with Ann back in the day.

In a clip that resurfaced previously on social media, Robbo mocked the single mum, even joking that her sons were on ASBOs (antisocial behaviour orders) and that she was most likely claiming benefits.

In the video, Robinson is seen addressing Ann in between rounds.

"So what do you do, Ann?" she asks.

Ann says: "I'm a full-time single mum to three boys."

To which Robinson replies: "Three great boys, yeah. So how many ASBOs?"

BBC

Clearly nervous, Ann doesn't appear to hear the question, and asks the host to repeat herself.

"How many of your three boys have got tags on their ankles?" enquires the charming presenter.

Ann brushes off the pretty nasty comment, telling Robinson that her boys have never been in trouble.

Moving onto her financial circumstances, Robinson asks if she's on benefits.

To which Ann replies: "I knew... I was waiting for this. I'm doing a 24/7 job, really... I am on benefits, yes."

The host then has a poke around in Ann's marital affairs, clearly knowing there's a story to tell.

"And what happened to the husband?" she asks.

"Well, I've had two husbands, to be honest," says Ann. "I think I wore them both out."

BBC

Robinson then asks: "You didn't go gay, did you?"

To which Ann replies: "No, but sometimes, living with three boys, I have thought there's a lot to be said about going lesbian."

The salty exchange left many people pretty upset by Robinson's actions.

Blasting her behaviour, one user said: "Utterly disgraceful. Such contempt for working class people."

Another chipped in: "Absolutely disgusting. I don't even know where to start. From the classism to the homophobia."

"It's nasty, degrading and abhorrent," put a third. "The lady may have known what questions were about to be asked. However it pushes a very disturbing narrative, that has been fed insidiously to us. Whether we're conscious of it or it or not."

Topics: UK News, TV and Film, Viral, Twitter

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers is LADbible's Editorial Lead. After graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History, he went on to write for the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express. So as you can imagine, he’s spent many a night wondering just how useful that second language has been. But c'est la vie.

@SmithersDom