- Gary Lineker has revealed he turned down an ITV reality show
- He admitted that negotiations to participate in the program did not go very far.
- LISTEN NOW: It’s all starting!available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday.
Gary Lineker has revealed that he recently turned down the opportunity to appear on a major ITV reality show.
The BBC presenter, 64, will step down as Match of the Day host at the end of the season, leaving him with more time on his hands.
And now he has told how ITV tried to take advantage of this by making him an offer to sign up for one of their shows.
However, Lineker admitted negotiations didn’t get very far after his agent asked ITV for an outrageous salary on his behalf.
“Do you know that last week I got requests to appear on Celebrity Big Brother?” Lineker told Alan Shearer and Micah Richards on The rest is football podcast.
Lineker added: “My agent sent it to me and then jokingly replied, ‘Oh yeah. Gary’s fee will be £50 million!”
Gary Lineker has revealed that he turned down the opportunity to take part in an ITV reality show
Lineker admitted talks didn’t go very far as his agent jokingly asked for £50m on his behalf.
Lineker will not host BBC Sports Personality of the Year next week and will leave his role as Match of the Day presenter at the end of the season.
“He did it completely as a joke, obviously. And they came back and said, “Oh, that’s a little… that’s not in our budget.”
It appears Lineker did not take ITV’s approach particularly seriously and made it clear that his stance is unlikely to change any time soon.
When asked if he would consider taking part in Celebrity Big Brother in the near future, Lineker replied: “I can tell you now, don’t bother asking.”
Lineker has turned down the chance to appear on a reality show and also recently confirmed that he will not be one of the presenters of next week’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
Her last appearance came last year when she performed alongside Clare Balding, Gabby Logan and Alex Scott, with Lionesses goalkeeper Mary Earps crowned winner of the coveted award.
Lineker will continue on Match of the Day for the remainder of the 2024-25 season before retiring after starting with the program in 1999.
His replacement has yet to be announced, with Logan, Scott, Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates believed to be the leading contenders to succeed him.