Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Gary Lineker volunteers to cut down £1.75m BBC salary: ‘It’s the right thing to do’

Match of the Day host is corporation’s highest-earning star

Ellie Harrison
Tuesday 17 September 2019 05:10 EDT
Comments
Gary Lineker tops the list again of BBC's best paid stars

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Gary Lineker, who is the BBC’s highest-earning star with an annual salary of £1.75 million, has volunteered to take a pay cut.

The Match of the Day host is currently negotiating a new contract with the BBC.

The corporation has come under fire in recent years for its gender pay gap as well as the excessive salaries its top talent receives.

“I love my job at the BBC and I enjoy doing it,” Lineker told The Mirror.

“I’m currently negotiating a new contract with them and I’m volunteering to take less.”

The presenter reportedly told a friend: “It’s the right thing to do.”

According to reports, Lineker has taken numerous pay cuts in the past, and his latest move follows that of Radio 2 presenter Chris Evans, who agreed to reduce his pay from £2.2 million in 2017 to £1.25 million this year before he quit for Virgin Radio.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in