Gethin Jones has revealed he was paid just £27,000 a year when he presented Blue Peter.
The 43-year-old, who appeared on the popular BBC children's TV show for three years, said he took a pay cut to take the job.
The Cardiff-born broadcaster was the long-running show's 31st presenter when he began in 2005 after starting his career at Welsh language station S4C.
During his time on the programme he took on the action and adventure role previously filled by John Noakes and Peter Duncan.
This included flying with the Red Arrows, surviving in the Bolivian jungle and becoming only the second civilian to finish the Royal Marine 30-mile Yomp, used to select future commandos.
He told the RunPod podcast: "It blows my mind slightly that I did three and a half years on the show and it was 31 countries, I broke six bones, four world records, two lifetime ambitions, I think we had 14 days off in two and a half years including weekends and I didn't even notice, all for 27 grand a year.
"And I didn't care. I think I took a pay cut to do the job. I didn't even know how much I was getting paid as I went to do my first film in Vermont in North America.
"And it was incredible. I'll always be grateful for that. I feel like I lived three lifetimes in three years. For a young man from Cardiff to be exposed to that. Blue Peter was a big deal. It was just immense."
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