Dan Walker, 43, has addressed having his annual salary published by the BBC, as the broadcaster makes an effort to be “more transparent” about how much its presenters earn. The BBC Breakfast host appeared on the 2018-19 list of star salaries, which placed his annual income at around £280,000.
The list detailed all presenters that earn over £150,000.
Dan, who also presents Football Focus and FIFA World Cup, addressed appearing on the list in an exclusive interview with Radio Times.
“You get accused of being part of the liberal, metropolitan elite and I couldn’t feel further from that,” he said.
“I do think I provide good value. I work my backside off six days a week and I have done for a long time.
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“I constantly come up with ideas and ways to make them happen. I’m committed to working hard.”
But it isn’t just a job for Dan, who appreciates every second delivering breaking news and current affairs to the nation three times a week: “I get paid a lot. I really feel privileged and thankful for my job, and I love the people I work with.”
When the list was published, The Sun reported that the presenter said at the time: “I was only higher up the BBC list because I was doing other jobs for them, including working on Football Focus.
“As much as I love that job, I don’t do it for free.
“I feel privileged to do the job, but there are a lot of people who get paid vast amounts more than I do.
As most know, journalism can be a very demanding job and it’s not often schedules stick to a five day week.
But for Dan, “six days a week” is the limit.
As a dedicated Christian, he is adamant he will “never work on a Sunday.”
“That’s a decision I made a long time ago, and it’s been a positive in my life,” he explained.
“I do sometimes feel judged as a Christian in a way that others aren’t, but everything you do and say on TV, particularly on the BBC, is under scrutiny. I don’t wear a badge saying, ‘Hi, I’m a Christian’, although I take it very seriously, and it influences who I am and what I do.”
For the same time-frame, the BBC named former footballer-come TV presenter Gary Lineker and radio DJ Chris Evans as their top earners, bringing home over £1million each for the year.
Strictly’s Claudia Winkleman and Zoe Ball were joined by Vanessa Feltz, who also made it onto the top earners list for 2018-2019.
BBC Breakfast airs daily from 6am on BBC One.
