TVTV NewsWeakest LinkA participant who appeared on BBC's The Weakest Link over twenty years ago has shared what happens behind the scenes17:41, 07 Aug 2026A former contestant on the original version The Weakest Link has shared what really happens on the show.‌Sonia Strong appeared on the hit game show in 2004, four years after it launched in the UK. Back then, the intense quick-fire question programme took the nation by storm with presenter Anne Robinson at the forefront.‌Anne, 81, was known for her chilling demeanour as the programme's host as well as her hilarious and often rude commentary on the contestants. After ending in 2012, the British version was revived in 2021 with Romesh Ranganathan as the host.‌But what really went on behind the scenes when the cameras stopped rolling? Former contestant Sonia shed light on her experience while appearing on the hit BBC series.When asked whether she was surprised by anything, Sonia told OLBG.com: "Everything just seems so slow. Every time we had to vote off a contestant, Anne disappeared from her podium.‌"So we were sort of doing a lot of filming without her. I also remember it was really cold in the studio and we didn’t get a lot of breaks. We only got one break throughout the whole 7-8 hours of filming."The contestant was also asked whether she had spoken to Anne before filming. She replied: "We saw her in the green room for a few seconds beforehand and I thought she might say hi to everyone. But she didn’t. She just walked past everyone."‌Countdown presenter Anne previously revealed that she deliberately never spoke to the contestants on the show beforehand. The star shared that it was in order for her to stay in character.She told Metro: "One of the rules I had, quite unconsciously on The Weakest Link was that I never, ever met the contestants before."Even on the celebrity shows I would come on the programme as the lights were already ready to go and people would say 'Hi' and I’d just keep a straight face and ignore them and that helped to build atmosphere.Article continues below"But on Countdown, for a couple of reasons, they are sitting there when I get into the studio and I do say 'Hello, how are you?'"It’s simply to allow them to see that the sort of slightly pantomime character on The Weakest Link isn’t all of me."The Weakest Link is available to watch on BBC One.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌Weakest Link