£70,000 rise for Shirley to be in step with Len after gender pay gap storm
STRICTLY Come Dancing’s Shirley Ballas has manoeuvred a £70,000 pay rise off the back of the BBC gender pay gap scandal.
Shirley, 57, is said to have negotiated a £250,000 deal from BBC bosses embarrassed by revelations that male employees massively out-earned their female counterparts.
A source said yesterday that she wanted to “set the tone” for the rest of the BBC by landing a deal equal to a male star.
When she replaced head judge Len Goodman, 73, last year, she was originally paid £180,000 by the BBC – £70,000 less than Goodman’s £250,000.
But she was given parity after a national outcry over salary gaps between men and women at the corporation. A Strictly source said: “Shirley was thrilled her salary was brought up to what Len Goodman was paid in the role of head judge.
“She couldn’t see why she should get less than the person she replaced – especially after more than proving herself in her first year.
“It’s a great victory for equal pay.”
The BBC’s seven highest earners – including Chris Evans, Gary Lineker and Jeremy Vine – were all men.
Evans was on the highest wage of nearly £2.5million.
The BBC’s China editor Carrie Gracie quit after learning male international editors earned “at least 50 per cent more.” The highest paid woman – Strictly host Claudia Winkleman – came eighth in a salary band of £450,000 to £499,999. Her co-host Tess Daly came in at £350,000-£399,000 but women were woefully outnumbered.
The new pay deal sees Ballas put on equal footing with judge Bruno Tonioli, 62.
The original thinking behind paying him and Goodman £250,000 was to match their fees for appearing on the US show Dancing With The Stars.
When Ballas joined she was offered the same salary as judges Darcey Bussell, 48, and Craig Revel Horwood, 53.
Strictly bosses are said to be relieved that, despite the tough negotiations, they are left with a secure judging panel.
The source said: “Viewers seemed to like the chemistry between them. Formal contracts should be signed in the coming days.”