Holly Willoughby has reportedly received a £200,000 pay rise to put her on the same salary as her This Morning co-host Phillip Schofield. It's thought that the 36-year-old had been earning a third less that her fellow presenter; £400,000, in comparison to Phillip's £600,000. Holly's pay rise came as she and Phillip negotiated their salaries for the upcoming series of Dancing On Ice. ITV bosses are said to have realised they couldn't pay the pair the same fee for the ice skating competition and not for their work together on This Morning.
"It seemed ridiculous they were going to get paid the same fee for Dancing On Ice but Holly was lagging behind on This Morning," a source told the Mirror. "Quite rightly, that has now been rectified and they both earn exactly the same."
Holly Willoughby has reportedly received a £200,000 pay rise to match co-host Phillip Schofield
ITV's decision comes after the pay disparity between male and female stars at the BBC was revealed. The broadcaster's annual report showed that two-thirds of celebrities earning more than £150,000 are male, with Radio 2 breakfast show host Chris Evans the BBC's top earner, with a salary between £2.2million and £2.25million. In comparison, Claudia Winkleman is the highest-paid female celebrity, earning between £450,000 and £500,000.
Ahead of the report's release, BBC director general Lord Tony Hall admitted that a gender pay gap existed at the corporation. "Of the talent earning over £150,000 – two thirds are men and one third are women. Is that where we want to be? No," he said. "Are we pushing further and faster than any other major broadcaster? Most certainly."