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

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.