Chris Evans defends his mega £2.2million BBC salary after star’s wages sparked gender pay row
The BBC star addressed controversy about his wage as it was revealed he topped a list of 96 people paid more than £150,000 at the publicly-funded broadcaster
CHRIS Evans has told listeners on his Radio 2 show this morning that his mum thinks he's worth his whopping £2.25million wage.
The BBC star addressed controversy about his wage as it was revealed he topped a list of 96 people paid more than £150,000 at the publicly-funded broadcaster.
After hosting the show however, in which he defended his pay, he refused to answer questions.
Evans topped the list on more than £2million while the highest paid woman was Strictly's Claudia Winkleman, who is paid up to £499,999.
Under-fire Evans said that he understood the backlash to the list, which also revealed how Newsnight star Emily Maitlis was paid less than £150,000 for her work while male co-stars were paid considerably more.
Speaking on his Radio Two show this morning, he said: "Here's a question - what do you say when confronted with the question: are you embarrassed about what you earn?
"Are you ashamed of what you earn?
"How do you react to that question when all you're doing is coming to work every day like you have been for years to fulfil an agreed contract?
"Frankly, I had no idea what to say.
"I've been asked that question and so have many of my colleagues over the last 24 hours.
";I was asked that again this morning by a film crew as I ran into work.
"So here's what I did. I called my mum. She's 91, she's very wise, she was in the war, and I asked her what she thought.
"She said: 'Hang on a minute, love, let me just turn the telly down', she was watching Columbo on catch-up at the time, as she often is.
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"She said: 'Tell them that your mum, who's a nurse for most of her life, always told you after your dad died to try to find a job you loved, just like I love nursing, and earn what you can, when you can, while you can - which you did almost straight away from when you were a paper boy earning £1.50 a week for freezing your bits off and falling off your bike every two minutes, right through until what you're doing now.
"'And tell them - if your bosses don't think you're worth it one day, they'll sort that out soon enough'."
Evans added: "So there you are - I'm going with what my mum said and that's it.
"I don't think you tune in to this show to hear us talk about these things but I had to say that this morning and had to be right and proper that I said that.
"I thank my mum for advice, as always, I live by her word and I will die by her word."