Fiona Bruce reveals BBC axe fears

Fiona Bruce has admitted that she fears being "quietly dropped" by the BBC in the future.

The journalist and TV host became a household name in 1999 when she started presenting the corporation's Six O'Clock News bulletin. She has since fronted the BBC News at Ten, Crimewatch UK and Real Story, her own documentary series.

Most recently, Bruce was named as the new host of Antiques Roadshow, taking over from Michael Aspel. Despite this, she worries that her days as the BBC's golden girl are numbered.

"I know there's going to come a point in the not-too-distant future when I will be quietly dropped from something," Bruce told the Daily Mail. "I won't be bitter and twisted when I'm fired. I work in a visual medium and I am judged by my appearance."

"There's going to come a time when my face won't fit any more, for whatever reason," she continued. "When I got the job of presenter on the Six, other people were being fired. I got taken in one door and I was hired. Other presenters were going out of the other door. I just thought, 'That's how it will be for me one day. I'll be the last person to find out about it and, when it does happen, don't get bitter and twisted about it.'"

Bruce also revealed that she is plagued by concerns about her appearance when she presents Antiques Roadshow.

"I do worry about my looks being shot in high definition on the Roadshow," she said. "Whoever invented that must have been a bloke, and he was probably about 18 years old. It's a nightmare. I get followed round by a make-up artist to ensure I look half-decent. That has been a slight wake-up call."