Rachel Riley's Countdown axe 'sealed' as Carol Vorderman tipped for huge return

Countdown with Rachel Riley MAIN (Image: Channel 4)

Rachel Riley is facing odds-on to exit from Countdown, according to betideas.com. Channel 4 chiefs are feeling the heat to take action following Riley's tweet in the wake of the Sydney stabbings last week.

The presenter is fancied at 4/6 to leave the show, while she is 6/5 to stay put. Speculation is rife about who might step up to the numbers and letters board if Riley leaves the series, with Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon (6/4) and Carol Vorderman (4/1) among the favourites.

Susanna Reid (9/1) and Susie Dent (12/1) are also in contention. Lee Astley, spokesperson for betideas.com, stated: "Rachel Riley's future on Countdown seems to be under increasing threat following her social media post last week and the presenter is odds-on to leave her role on the show.

"Riley is considered likely at 4/6 to depart the show, with Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon (6/4) and Carol Vorderman (4/1) already touted as the early favourites to replace her. Should Riley be given the support of the Channel 4 bosses, she is conversely 6/5 to keep her role."

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Rachel has sparked backlash with her controversial tweets (Image: Cat Morley/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock)

Channel 4 have been facing calls to axe Rachel from her role on Countdown, which she has been on since 2013, following her apology for her tweet about the Sydney stabbing attack on Saturday April 13, where six people were killed by a knifeman at Westfield Bondi Junction.

Rachel initially shared a tweet which claimed the attack was the result of "globalised Infitada", before insisting that her message had been "misunderstood.

Globalise the Infitada, a term often used by pro-Palestine activists, calls for aggressive resistance against Israel and those who support the country. Rachel is Jewish and is a supporter of Israel since the October 7 attack by Hamas.

She had tak

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Rachel later apologised for her tweet, as she penned in a statement: "Just to clarify, my intention with this tweet was not to say this attack was caused by any ideation or to link it to Islamic extremism," she penned. "At the time we did not know who the attacker was, and as such I made no reference."

"My aim was to highlight the weekly calls for "intifada" being tolerated in London and around the world, which in actuality means violence on our streets. For six months now, I have avoided taking the Tube, or going with my kids to anywhere near the marches each Saturday, and each week we see the extremist chants on proud display with little outcry."

"Sadly, the type of attack seen in Sydney yesterday is exactly the kind of violence the previous intifada involved and I hope to avoid in future, but in my opinion ignoring the problem won't make it go away."

"Attacks on Jews have recently become repackaged as 'resistance' in some circles, and we should in one voice condemn all acts of violence, whoever the perpetrators and whoever the victims. I am sorry if this message was misunderstood, that was not my intention."

Channel 4 has issued a statement, saying: "While she isn’t a member of staff, we have reminded Rachel Riley of her obligations as a contributor to Channel 4 programming. We are aware of the tweet that Rachel posted and then deleted on 14 April. She has subsequently tweeted an apology saying she is sorry to those who were offended."