ONE of the country’s most high-profile businesswomen has called for Sky Sports presenters Richard Keys and Andy Gray to be reinstated after the pair left their jobs over the football sexism row.

Michelle Mone, founder and co-owner of MJM International, a multi-million pound lingerie company, was at The Northern Echo Darlington Arena last night, at an event organised by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) to inspire local entrepreneurs to export.

Speaking before the event, Ms Mone said that people were “obsessed with gender” in the workplace and called for men and women to “get a life, and focus on things that really matter”.

She accepted that her comments regarding Keys and Gray, who resigned and were sacked respectively, go against the prevailing belief that remarks about assistant referee Sian Massey and Karren Brady, vice-chairwoman of West Ham, had made the presenters’ positions at Sky Sports untenable.

Ms Mone said: “I feel sad for the two guys. The country hasn’t forgiven them – I think they could struggle to bounce back from this.

“Their comments were silly, but we have got caught up in this whole gender thing. All of that nonsense has got to stop. I slag men off every minute of the day, so if I worked for Sky I’d be sacked within five minutes.”

Her comments were contrary to Ms Brady’s, who was incensed by the incident. Ms Mone said: “I’ve know Karren for years. I’ve got different views from her.

“I’m not not sticking up for women here, but I don’t think the punishment fitted the crime. They should just say, ‘Sorry, we’ll not do that again’, and they get on with their jobs.

Instead, it turns into this media fiasco which I find sad.”

Ms Mone, who revealed she is to front a new BBC programme, which will be officially unveiled next week, added: “Maybe my fellow members of the sisterhood will not be happy with my views.”

UKTI, Business Clubs North-East, and the North- East International Networking Club supported last night’s event to promote International Trade Week.