A NETBALL-PLAYING mother-of-six brushed off the taunts of game show host Anne Robinson to win The Weakest Link last night.

Wendy Withers, chairwoman of Gainford Parish Council, near Barnard Castle, County Durham, ended up as the strongest link with winnings of £1,360.

Ms Withers, whose children's ages range from two to 22, watched herself on the BBC2 quiz show, which was broadcast last night, as she had almost forgotten most of the details about it.

But she vividly remembers the acid tongue of the show's host during the recording on August 31 last year.

When Ms Withers, 43, said she played netball, the quiz mistress asked: "Can you play netball if you're not a lesbian?"

"She also called me an old cow at one point, but I seemed to get off more lightly than some of the others," said Ms Withers, who has been a teacher, bookseller, youth worker and netball coach.

Her partner, Mark Bailey, a chemist at the GlaxoSmithKline factory in Barnard Castle, watched the show with Ms Withers and some of the children.

Ms Withers said: "I was beginning to believe it would never be screened.

"After the show, we were told it would be broadcast soon, but it took an awful long time."

"My winnings weren't as much as in many other episodes, but I really enjoyed the experience," said Ms Withers, who chaired a parish council meeting soon after the screening.