‘The One Show’ presenter Alex Jones has revealed the BBC has “put right” the pay gap between herself and co-host Matt Baker.
Last year, Alex and Matt’s salary was made public as part of an initiative which saw the BBC’s highest-paid stars’ earnings revealed.
The two co-presenters were shown to be in two separate pay brackets, with Matt - who also presents ‘Countryfile’ - potentially earning as much as £100K a year more than Alex.
Opening up about the pay disparity, Alex told Hello! magazine: “We’ve never discussed our pay because we’re quite British like that. Even my mum doesn’t know how much I earn.”
She went on to say that the BBC was bridging the gap between their pay, adding: “The BBC seem to be doing what they can and I know that with Matt and I our editor put that right; it’s been addressed with us.”
Alex previously spoke of her shock at discovering that she was in a different pay bracket to her ‘One Show’ co-star, later joining a number of high-profile women who co-signed an open letter to BBC director Tony Hall, calling for him to address the gender pay gap at the corporation, alongside sports presenter Clare Balding, journalist Victoria Derbyshire and ’Today’ programme host Mishal Husain.
The letter said: “Compared to many women and men, we are very well compensated and fortunate. However, this is an age of equality and the BBC is an organisation that prides itself on its values.
“You have said that you will ‘sort’ the gender pay gap by 2020, but the BBC has known about the pay disparity for years. We all want to go on the record to call upon you to act now.”