Rachel Riley makes sly dig at Anne Robinson as she praises her Countdown replacement Colin Murray

RACHEL Riley appeared to make a sly dig at Anne Robinson as she praised her Countdown replacement Colin Murray.

The Irish presenter was announced as Anne’s replacement after she quit the tea-time Channel 4 series last week.

Rachel replied to a fan of Colin who gushed about his flash new job on Twitter.

They wrote: “Wow hope he stays forever. He has great charisma and is such a lovely bloke. Well done Colin can’t wait.

“Come on @C4Countdown keep him permanently.”

Maths whizz Rachel, 36, agreed and said: “Such a lovely reaction to Colin being back, a pretty universal sentiment!”

Meanwhile just yesterday Rachel looked to be on Cloud Nine as she flashed a huge smile at waiting photographers – a week after Anne Robinson quit the Channel 4 show.

The mum-of-two looked casual and comfortable as she teamed a red jumper with jeans and trainers.

It comes after former The Weakest Link host Anne, 77, shocked by announcing she’d quit the show less than a year after replacing Nick Hewer as Countdown’s first female presenter.

The Sun previously told how Anne is said to have has left Rachel frustrated with her diva demands since stepping into former host Nick Hewer’s shoes in June of last year. 

Anne, the show’s first female host, first ruffled feathers by insisting on her own make-up artist and stylist.

The Weakest Link presenter, 77, quit the tea-time Channel 4 series after just a year in the hot seat – months after The Sun revealed her feud with co-star Rachel.

Now Colin will host the famous game show on a temporary basis.

Richard Osman was originally touted as Anne’s replacement, after he quit BBC quiz show Pointless in April.

Yet after he ruled himself out of the running, radio DJ Colin could make his stand-in stint permanent.

A Channel 4 spokesperson exclusively told The Sun Online: “Colin started filming on set in Salford yesterday.

“He will be in the show until late Autumn.”