The Times has reported that Anne Robinson and three members of the pop band Take That are among 2,000 people who attempted to shelter money through an aggressive tax avoidance scheme.

The total amount involved is around £1.2 billion.

Ms Robinson is said to be one of the largest investors in the so-called Liberty tax strategy, which enabled investors to escape income tax by paying 7p in the pound in fees.

She is understood to have paid £280,000 to use the Jersey-based scheme to avoid tax on about £4 million.