Anne Robinson 'gives away' fortune, but some other stars won't
The TV star is thought to be worth tens of millions of pounds
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Anne Robinson has revealed she’s dished out her multi-million pound fortune to keep it from being taken by the taxman.
The TV star, 79, is thought to have been worth as much as £50 million, thanks to her long career and programmes like The Weakest Link, Countdown and Points Of View. And it seems that as she is getting older she has started planning for the future by sharing the wealth now.
Robinson said she has “given it all away” so that when she dies her loved ones don’t have to pay inheritance tax, which is charged at 40% on a person's estate over £325,000, according to MailOnline.
The star – who has a daughter and two teenaged grandchildren – told Saga magazine that she would rather her relatives get to “enjoy it now”. “I've given it all away,” she said. “I don't want the taxman to have it. I've spread it about quite a lot, to the children. They may as well enjoy it now.”
Who is Anne Robinson’s daughter?
Robinson has one daughter, Emma Wilson, from her marriage to late journalist Charles Wilson. The pair tied the knot in 1968 and welcomed Emma two years later.
Emma, 53, has worked as a radio DJ and also hosted a Nickelodeon show. She is married to film director Liam Kan and they have two children – Hudson, 14, and Parker, 13.
During the coronavirus, Emma and her family headed to Robinson’s home in the Cotswolds and the star has said it was “fabulous” to all be under one roof.
The Mirror quoted the presenter as saying that at first it felt like an “invasion”. But she went on: “She (Emma) bossed me around in the same way as she does her children and their puppy. But after a while, we adapted enough to tolerate our differences and laugh at them. Soon we got to a stage when it was actually fabulous.”
Stars who won’t leave fortunes to their children
While Robinson has splashed the cash early, there are several stars who have suggested that they won’t be leaving all of their money to their offspring.
James Bond star Daniel Craig has previously suggested that he won’t leave his children a substantial inheritance. The actor is dad to grown up daughter Ella with his ex Fiona Loudon and has a five-year-old daughter with wife Rachel Weisz.
In 2020 he told Saga magazine: “I don’t want to leave great sums to the next generation.”
The following year he doubled down on it when he told Candis magazine the idea of an inheritance was a bit “distasteful” and that he thought it was better to "get rid of it or give it away before you go".
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has five children with his wife Tana – Megan, 26, twins Jack and Holly, 24, Tilly, 22, and Oscar, five. But he has said in the past that he won’t be leaving everything to his brood, because he doesn’t want to spoil them.
"It's definitely not going to them, and that's not in a mean way, it's to not spoil them,” he told The Telegraph in 2017. “The only thing I've agreed with Tana is that they get a 25% deposit on a flat, but not the whole flat.”
TV and music mogul Simon Cowell has previously said he doesn’t believe in passing on millions. The star is now dad to 10-year-old son Eric. But before he welcomed his son, he was quoted as saying that he may leave his fortune to charity.
“I’m going to leave my money to somebody,” he told Esquire. “A charity, probably - kids and dogs. I don’t believe in passing on from one generation to another.
“Your legacy has to be that hopefully you gave enough people an opportunity, so that they could do well, and you gave them your time, taught them what you know.”
