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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Vicki Newman

Zoe Ball to become BBC top earner as full salary unveiled for first time

Zoe Ball will become the BBC's top earner after her whopping salary was revealed in full for the first time.

Following backlash over the gender pay gap, the BBC Radio 2 and Strictly It Takes Two presenter will take over from former top earner Gary Lineker when it comes to the broadcaster's staff pay packets.

Match Of The Day host Lineker was the BBC's top earner during the 2019/2020 tax year with a salary of £1.75 million, compared to Zoe's £1.36 million.

But after Gary agreed to take a 23% pay cut when he signed a new five year deal with the Beeb, Zoe is expected to take over from him as the top earner.

Zoe's salary reveal comes just one month after reports that she'd lost a million listeners on her Radio 2 Breakfast Show.

She pulled in 8.2million listeners every week in the final quarter of 2019, compared to the 9.1million Chris Evans brought in before he left in 2018.

But the BBC Annual Report has today revealed that the 49-year-old's pay has soared from £370,000 last year to a minimum of £1.36million.

Her salary is now nine times that of the Prime Minister's.

The BBC came under fire after reports showed that many of its female stars were paid less than their male counterparts.

It saw several threaten to quit.

While the top earners are still mostly male, four of the top 10 are now female, and they've all been given pay rises.

Fiona Bruce, in at number six, has gone up by £195,000 to be earning at least £450,000, while Vanessa Feltz has had a raise of £50,000, taking her to at least £405,000.

Lauren Laverne's salary was bumped up by £90,000, taking her to at least £395,000.

However, some of the top earning men have seen their salaries go down like Gary's has.

Vanessa is also int he top 10 (Getty Images)

Alan Shearer has taken a £50,000 cut, making his salary at least £390,000, while Huw Edwards' pay has gone down by £25,000, meaning he now earns at least £465,000.

The BBC has revealed that 76 of its presenters earn more money than PM Boris Johnson, who is on £150,000.

BBC's top earners 2019-2020

  1. Gary Lineker - Around £1,750,000
  2. Zoe Ball - £1,360,000 – £1,364,999
  3. Graham Norton - £725,000 - £729,999
  4. Steve Wright - £475,000 – £479,000
  5. Huw Edwards - £465,000 - £469,999
  6. Fiona Bruce - £450,000 – £454,999
  7. Vanessa Feltz - £405,000 - £409,999
  8. Lauren Laverne - £395,000 – £399,999
  9. Alan Shearer - £390,000 – £394,999
  10. Stephen Nolan - £390,000 – £394,000
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