Carol Vorderman slams BBC over her 'sexist' sacking after former Countdown star dropped

Carol Vorderman has accused the BBC of sexism after being axed by the corporation.

The former Countdown presenter, 63, claimed in an interview with The Sunday Times Magazine that she was "threatened" by the channel for her controversial tweets about the then-Conservative government.

The mathematician also suggested she was "not prepared to stop" venting her "strong beliefs" on her social media pages, which led to her exit.

She told the publication: "BBC management made two decisions about two presenters within 24 hours - one was to sack me for five innocuous tweets.

"The other, knowing the serious nature of Huw's arrest, was to keep him on and carry on paying his salary, I mean ... no sexism!"

In the same week she was dropped from their lineup, Huw Edwards was arrested for making indecent images of children - to which he pleaded guilty in July.

Carol claimed the change in social media rules were a threat.

"It was a threat. 'You shut up or we'll sack you.' Well, f***ing sack me then," she added to The Times.

A spokesperson for the BBC told Express Online: "The BBC published its new Social Media Guidance last September which strike a balance between the BBC's commitment to impartiality and freedom of expression. The guidance sets out clear expectations for freelancers, which includes a particular responsibility to uphold civility in public discourse."

The presenter, who has hosted the Saturday morning show for four years, is an outspoken critic of the former Tory government on X, formerly Twitter.

The BBC had recently published new social media rules for stars and staff before her show exit.

At the time of her departure, Carol said she was not "prepared to lose my voice on social media" and managers "have decided I must leave".

The BBC brought in new social media rules for its presenters following outrage last year over Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker's tweet comparing the Tory government's Rwanda policy to Nazi Germany.

Some of Carol's controversial tweets included branding the Conservatives as "corrupt" and "divisive".