As the BBC’s highest earner, Gary Lineker has come in for his fair share of criticism. Now the presenter has revealed he is voluntarily taking a pay cut.
The Match Of The Day host earns £1.75 million according to figures published in July, but the former England footballer says he is in talks with the Beeb about a reduction.
The 58-year-old told the Mirror: “I love my job at the BBC and I enjoy doing it.
“I’m currently negotiating a new contract with them and I’m volunteering to take less.”
Gary’s salary remained unchanged in figures published this summer, unlike some BBC stars who had cuts.
John Humphrys, Huw Edwards, Nicky Campbell and Jeremy Vine were among the big-name BBC stars to have taken reductions.
This year, the BBC came under fire for handing a number of its stars pay rises while at the same time axing the universal, free TV licence for over-75s.
BBC Breakfast host and sport presenter Dan Walker and Today presenters Justin Webb and Nick Robinson were among those to have been given increases.
Initial publication of salaries in 2017 also sparked a gender pay gap controversy, but BBC director-general Tony Hall said this year the broadcaster had “turned the corner” on the issue.
This year’s figures put Zoe Ball, on around £370,000, as well as Vanessa Feltz and Claudia Winkleman as the highest-paid female stars.
Earlier this year, BBC Director-General Tony Hall defended Gary’s bumper pay packet.
Speaking to a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee, Lord Hall insisted Gary’s pay is justified, pointing out that presenters working for non-public service broadcasters often earn far more.
He said: “What’s interesting about Match Of The Day, or rather the Premier League, is that roughly two thirds of the audiences for premier league football are free to air through the BBC through things like Match Of The Day and Gary plays a very big part in that.
“And you know as I do that sports presentation is a very different part of the market. People are paid a lot of money, much, much, more than by BT, by Sky and so on, but that of course is different to public service.”