Susanna Reid managed to sidestep a question about whether she and Piers Morgan were paid the same wage during a segment on Thursday’s (20 July) ‘Good Morning Britain’.
The TV presenter was asked about her salary during an interview with guest Trisha Goddard, following the publication of the top BBC stars’ earnings earlier in the week.
This report revealed that only a third of the highest-earning staff members at the BBC were women, which was a point of discussion during today’s ‘GMB’.
Addressing the gender pay gap at the BBC, Susanna said: “Clare Balding in the £150,000 bracket, earning less than a tenth of Gary Lineker… we know how hard Clare Balding works.
“I’m not saying Gary Lineker doesn’t work hard, but my goodness, she’ll be onto her agent, won’t she?”
With a mischievous grin, Trisha then suggested: “Well, I’m guessing you and Piers Morgan earn the same.”
After a split-second of silence, Susanna responded: “I wouldn’t know, because we [at ITV] don’t have the same obligation of transparency.”
Piers spent much of his morning poking fun at the BBC on the day the report was published, in particular goading his rival Dan Walker, who presents ‘BBC Breakfast’.
Dan is one of the BBC stars to have spoken out about the publication of his wages, particularly after the fact he earns so much more than his female co-hosts made the front page of The Sun.
He was quick to point out that all ‘BBC Breakfast’ presenters earn the same fee for the daytime show, claiming the reason his earnings were so high was due to other BBC projects.
‘Good Morning Britain’ airs weekdays from 6am on ITV.