Anne Robinson greeted onlookers with a smile on Wednesday morning as she made her first appearance since revealing a relationship with Queen Camilla’s former husband.
It was the first time the non-nonsense presenter, best known for her former hosting role on The Weakest Link, had been seen in public since departing Channel 4 show Countdown in 2022.
Robinson, 79, looked relaxed in a loose-fitting blue T-shirt and matching leggings as she returned to her car after a shopping trip in Gloucestershire.
She completed her look with a red Ralph Lauren cap while out on Cirencester high street, little more than a month after announcing her new romance.
Unconfirmed reports at the end of last year suggested Robinson and retired cavalry officer Andrew Parker Bowles, 84, were in a relationship.
Anne Robinson greeted onlookers with a smile on Wednesday morning as she made her first appearance since revealing she is in a relationship with Queen Camilla’s former husband
It was the first time the non-nonsense presenter, best known for her former hosting role on The Weakest Link, had been seen in public since departing Channel 4 show Countdown in 2022.
Robinson during her final appearance as presenter of Countdown, a tenure that was said to be blighted by her reported rift with Rachel Riley
Unconfirmed reports at the end of last year suggested Robinson and retired cavalry officer Andrew Parker Bowles were in a relationship
The presenter has since confirmed they are, telling Saga magazine in May: ‘Yes. Full stop. Mind your own business.’
The interview came while Robinson was announced as the publication’s new agony aunt, a role she began with their June issue.
Speaking about returning to the dating pool in her seventies, after being single for more than a decade, she told Saga: ‘I’d been out of the game for so long. And also I don’t drink. If you don’t drink, you’re not as reckless are you?
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‘I’m a great believer in surprising yourself by taking risks. Personally and professionally. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If the worst that can happen is you get some egg on your face, that’s not terrible is it?’
A mutual friend told the Sun: ‘They have judiciously avoided being photographed together as they both wanted to keep this quiet for as long as possible.
‘Annie proudly tells everyone she is the daughter of a market trader chicken-seller and is as far removed from a toff as could be. Frankly, it beats any storyline The Crown could possibly come up with.’
The source added that she remained ‘fiercely independent and self-sufficient’ and there was ‘no chance’ of the pair moving in together.
Robinson became known for delivering cutting remarks to contestants and her catchphrase ‘you are the weakest link, goodbye’ when she presented the quiz show, which was first broadcast in 2000 before ending 12 years later.
Parker Bowles married Camilla in 1973 and they had two children together, Tom and Laura, before divorcing in 1995
Camilla (left) meets Anne Robinson at the 2013 Man Booker Prize for Fiction reception.
On why dating can be easier in older age, she said: ‘You’re much more selective about what you’re going to get into a tizz about. Nothing matters that much. You’re not going to change.’
Robinson previously hosted Channel 4 quiz show Countdown, becoming its sixth presenter and the first female to take the role, before stepping down in 2022 having recorded 265 episodes of the show.
She was previously married to the late Charles Wilson, a former journalist and newspaper executive, until 1973 and got from divorced her second husband, John Penrose, in 2007.
Parker Bowles married Camilla in 1973 and they had two children together, Tom and Laura, before divorcing in 1995.
The King, who was divorced from Diana, Princess of Wales in 1996, wed Camilla in April 2005 at the Guildhall in Windsor.
Parker Bowles and the Queen have remained friends, with the former army officer among the select guest list for the King’s coronation.
Robinson became known for delivering cutting remarks to contestants and her catchphrase ‘you are the weakest link, goodbye’ when she presented the quiz show, which was first broadcast in 2000 before ending 12 years later
Parker Bowles and the Queen have remained friends, with the former army officer among the select guest list for the King’s coronation
Robinson was last seen in 2022 during her final appearance as presenter of Countdown, a tenure that was said to be blighted by her reported rift with show regular Rachel Riley.
Robinson took over as host from Nick Hewer, 78, who presented from 2012 and made more of a statement as he departed the game show, saying it had been a ‘pleasure’ working with co-presenter Riley and Dictionary Corner’s Susie Dent.
It was revealed that Robinson was leaving the show after just one year by The Daily Mail’s Alison Boshoff, with the presenter later admitting she quit over a pay dispute.
The presenter, who was employed on a freelance basis, admitted that despite being offered a pay rise, she did not want to join Channel 4’s payroll and so decided to walk away from her role as host.
Speaking to The Sun, she said: ‘I come from a long line of alcoholic, Irish bandits so to suggest I go PAYE is a bit like asking Philip Green or Richard Branson to join the company payroll.
‘I wasn’t interested in any offer on that basis. Even if it included financial parity. I will, however, miss out on the Channel 4 luncheon vouchers, which is a big regret.’