TV presenter Gabby Logan claims she was once upbraided by a BBC boss for looking "too glamorous" when he spotted her in high-heeled boots.

The 40-year-old, who is married to former Scots rugby player Kenny Logan, defended her own glossy appearance on screen, saying that viewers want to see something "aspirational" on TV.

In an interview with Radio Times, she also suggested that Sky Sports - where she first cut her teeth on TV - played on the looks of female presenters but failed to give them a "career path".

Asked how she felt about how the broadcaster appears to use some women as "window dressing", Logan said: "The girls are basically wearing a leotard while the bloke's in a suit and a tie. It's fine if they're given a career path but there have never been any big breakthrough women on Sky. We all have to go to other places."

The presenter, who has occasionally faced criticism herself for how she appears on screen, said she does not want to distract people from sport but wants to look her best.

"A boss at the BBC once told me that I was too glamorous and pointed to my high-heeled boots. I said, 'I've just come from a radio show, it's what I wear'," she said.

"He said, 'You don't wear them when you do the dishes, do you?' Does he want me to look like I'm doing the dishes? I'm not here to look like a housewife.

"If I'm at home in my pyjamas I want to see something a bit more aspirational on TV. It's right that people on primetime look after their appearance."

Logan, one of the key presenters during the BBC's Olympics coverage, is soon to be seen in a new BBC1 panel show I Love My Country and wants to broaden her scope into more entertainment programmes.

"The Games showed that sport is a very good grounding. It probably opened doors. I want to try lots of other areas. I'm not saying I want to be the next natural history presenter, but I'm 40 years old. I don't want to get to 58 and think, 'Oh, I should have tried that'."

Sky Sports responded to her comments by saying its presenters are there on merit and that many have built successful careers at the broadcaster.

"While we respect Gabby's opinion and her work, we're surprised by the comments as there are many talented women who have developed successful presenting or reporting careers at Sky Sports. They include trained journalists, passionate and knowledgeable about sport, who work on our most high-profile sports including football, golf, cricket and Formula 1," a spokesman said.

"And there are a huge number of female colleagues working behind the scenes, including 30% of the production team at Sky Sports News. It would be disrespectful to those women if we didn't challenge the idea that they are there for any reason other than merit."