Konnie Huq has admitted the BBC probably gave her the job because she is Asian - she went on to be its longest serving female host

This year she was voted Britain's favourite Blue Peter presenter, but Konnie Huq has admitted the BBC probably gave her the job because she is Asian.

The 41-year-old spent 11 years on the show between 1997 and 2008 and surpassed Valerie Singleton as the longest serving female host.

But mother-of-two Ms Huq, who married sweary satirist Charlie Brooker in Vegas in 2010, admits the BBC's 'PC' bosses may have chosen her because of her ethnicity.

She told the Daily Star: 'When I started out in television over 20 years ago, being Asian probably helped because the BBC had to be PC and get ethnic minorities in.

'Not that I don't think I'm talented. But back then, it helped pave the way'.

She says that TV has now changed and there are many more ethnic minorities on screen.

She said: 'There are a lot more Asian faces on telly now than when I started out.'

Mother-of-two Ms Huq, who married sweary satirist Charlie Brooker in Vegas in 2010, admits the BBC's 'PC' bosses may have chosen her because of her ethnicity

Konnie has pointed to the success of Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain and BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty.

But she says that she has been largely shielded from the racist abuse they have suffered.

She said: 'As I started off on kids' TV, that's a much harder target. I'm fortunate to have not had that'.

This month she was won the RadioTimes.com poll of 7,000 readers who said she was Blue Peter's best ever presenter, winning 30 per cent of the vote.

Describing her 11 years there she said: 'It was such fun. I think that's why I didn't leave, because if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I was enjoying it so much that I stayed on it for ages and ages and ages because I just loved doing that job.

'The brilliant thing about Blue Peter is the variety of the stuff you do and the experiences that you have, just amazing experiences. Because Blue Peter can get you access to places – if you go to somewhere like Nasa, you don't just see what most people see, you can get a lot of behind the scenes access. You can talk to an astronaut'.

Konnie has pointed to the success of Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain and BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty to show there are more Asian faces on TV

The Cambridge graduate, who is a Labour supporter and whose sister Rupa is MP for Ealing Central and Acton, married sweary TV critic Charlie Brooker in a secret ceremony in Las Vegas in 2010.

The former Blue Peter presenter and the acid-witted host of BBC's Screenwipe eloped to avoid the fuss of a showbiz wedding.

They have two children: Covey, four, and Huxley, two.

In 2015 she admitted they may not be legally married to Brooker.

She said: We were married in Vegas and my friend's friend was also married in Vegas.

'They went to get a divorce and found out that their marriage isn't recognised over here because they didn't send the paperwork off. I don't think we sent the paperwork off either... You have four years to send it off, but it was in 2010.'