“The clothes were a big thing. They said, ‘Don’t wear jackets’. 

“Then there was a procession of stylists, only one shirt of mine survived... and getting my hair to look reasonable is quite a feat, it doesn’t look great natural, it’s really curly.” 

Kaplinsky is not the first woman to accuse TV bosses of sexism. Last year, broadcasters David Dimbleby, John Humphrys and Sir Trevor McDonald all spoke out in support of Moira Stuart, then 55, who was sacked by the BBC.

A month later, Sky News anchorwoman Kay Burley admitted she had undertaken plastic surgery. 

“I’ve signed a new contract so I’m not anxious at all about my job,” she insisted. “I had my eyes done for myself – it was nothing to do with my career.” 

But this January, former BBC newswoman Selina Scott, 56, reignited the debate on sexism in the news. Speaking before BBC Breakfast celebrated 25 years of broadcasting, she attacked news channels for hiring women for looks over talent.

“How many women are there on mainstream current-affairs programmes who are over 50?” she asked. “Anna Ford has retired, Moira Stuart has been bumped, yet you look around and see lots of men. 

“Women are taken on because they are intelligent and good-looking but not because of the experience they’ve had in breaking or covering stories.”