A female television news anchor has spoken out for the first time after claiming she lost her job because she is over the age of 40.

Veteran reporter Sue Manteris said her legal action was a 'fight I could not run away from.'

She has filed a discrimination lawsuit against the Las Vegas television station where she worked for 22 years, claiming they let her go because she was too old and from an ethnic minority.

She had been told her contract was not being renewed because of cost-cutting measures at NBC-owned KSNV-TV station.

But Mrs Manteris, who is in her mid 40s, claims she was picked on because she was she considered too old to read the news.

She also alleges that her contract was not renewed because she was a minority worker, and said other staff from ethnic minorities had been replaced by white reporters.

Mrs Manteris, who was born in India, said: 'This is not a fight that I sought, but unfortunately it was not a fight I could run away from either.

'This case as I see it is about "Principles, Ethics, and the Law of our Land". I think that my viewers and friends know that this case is not just about me.'

She added: 'Cost-cutting measures cannot target all minority workers in a department, and women over 40 only; not in this millennium, not in this country. Unfortunately, some businesses still need to learn that.'

Mrs Manteris completed her final appearance last Thursday.

Her fight is similar to that of Miriam O'Reilly, 53, who won an age discrimination case against the BBC after proving that she was dumped as a presenter of Countryfile because of her age.

Mrs Manteris has filed a discrimination lawsuit with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and alleges she was the victim of racial, age and gender discrimination.

In the suit, she has named Valley Broadcasting Co., owner of KSNV, news director Bob Stoldal, general manager Lisa Howfield and company attorney Douglas Roman Hill, among others.

The TV anchor claims that after Mr Stoldal joined the station in 2009, he 'made a disproportionate number of personnel changes each strongly indicating a race, age and or gender bias.'

Mrs Manteris has been the face of KSNV for decades, and first appeared in 1989. Her role with the station has slowly diminished since Mr Stoldal took control.

She anchored the 11 pm newscast before Mr Stoldal joined the station, but he quickly replaced her with a younger, white female anchor with little experience, according to the lawsuit.

It alleges: 'Virtually every anchor personnel decision Mr Stoldal made has favoured the young, the Caucasian, and or the male candidate.'

According to the court filing, Mrs Manteris brought the apparent discrimination to the attention of station owner Mr Rogers but he did little about it and instead 'kept pressuring' her about her age.

The lawsuit also focuses on the station’s promotion of Mrs Manteris as an 'Anchor Mom', while Stoldal allegedly undermined her ability to be a parent by changing her hours once she was knocked off the 11 pm newscast.

The suit claims: 'Incredibly, Mrs Manteris was being bullied and harassed over her desire to be a mom and provide adequate childcare for her young son, while at the same time, she was being promoted on-air as "Anchor Mom" and her series franchise was on bullying.'

Article from Mail online