She may be the hard nosed dragon of the BBC’s Weakest Link, but when it comes to divorce settlements Anne Robinson has to dig deep and cough up like the rest of us. She’s just had to fork out £20 million for her ex husband of 27 years, John Penrose. The figure represents almost a third of her estimated £62 million fortune, though according to reports Penrose actually wanted half.

That’s a lot of cash for putting up with her for 27 years, seems about right.

Penrose will receive £16 million in cash, and four properties worth £1 million each.

Usually when couples divorce assets are divided up 50/50, but Anne Robinson has managed to get away with the lion share of her wealth.

Alan Kaufman, of law firm ‘Finers Stephens Innocent’, explained the reason that Anne Robinson received more than half of the couple’s wealth:

This is the so-called ‘wow factor’, which could apply to Anne Robinson if it is agreed that it was her unique television ability and persona which made her masses of money - not her husband.

If that were the case, it makes sense that her husband has only got a third of her fortune. He would have got more only if he could prove that Miss Robinson is what she is today because of him as much as because of her.

Is this an example of a celebrity getting away with it because they are famous, or a woman getting away with it because she’s a woman? Whatever the reason, had John Penrose been the multi millionaire TV star you can be sure his ex-wife would have received half of his money.

Clive Bellmore