Countdown to close its doors forever over Vorderman fiasco?

As we reported last week, it was briefly rumoured that Countdown’s maths-whiz Carol Vorderman was to replace current host Des O’Connor, who has announced he is leaving at the end of the year.

O’Connor himself was a replacement for Des Lynam, who only lasted 18 months as replacement for original host, the late Richard Whiteley.  Whiteley and Vorderman famously hosted the popular teatime quiz together for over 20 years.  Vorderman stayed on after Whiteley’s passing and has been a constant fixture for 26 years.

 But Vorderman has now revealed just how inaccurate those rumours were.  She claims bosses forced her out after demanding she take a 90% pay cut, giving her 48 hours to agree or leave - and when her agent quibbled the offer, she was told, ‘We survived without Richard, we can survive without you.’

The show’s original creator, Belgian Marcell Stellman, still controls the format and has now threatened to pull the plug  in disgust over Vorderman’s treatment.

Read the full article here.  We think some heads might roll over this…