Vanessa Feltz's BBC salary raises eyebrows
Vanessa Feltz was today revealed as one of only three women on the BBC’s top 10 highest earners list.
The 57-year-old presenter boasts a paycheque in the range of £355,000 – £359,999, having received a pay rise from last year’s annual salary of £330,000 – £339,999.
Feltz hosts an early morning show on BBC Radio 2 from 5am to 6.30am as well as a the 7am breakfast show on BBC Radio London.
The news was met with some consternation online, with people questioning Feltz’ bumper wages.
Vanessa Feltz is paid £355,000 a year by the BBC? pic.twitter.com/sKyHvLhp22
— 𝕄𝕣 𝔼𝕕 💫 (@gerainted) July 2, 2019
The BBC is taking free TV licenses away from 3.7m pensioners, but paying Claudia Winkleman, Zoe Ball and Vanessa Feltz more than £350,000 each. So that’s alright then. https://t.co/CstgDRvkPr
— Toby Young (@toadmeister) July 2, 2019
On what planet is mediocrity and former chat show host Vanessa Feltz worth £355,000 - £359,999 of tax payers' money?https://t.co/AgXmQsbo65
— Stephen Basdeo (@sbasdeo1) July 2, 2019
Official figures show BBC Radio 2 is the UK’s most listened-to station, and 2017 saw Feltz pull in record figures for her BBC Radio London breakfast show.
Read more: BBC top 10 highest paid stars revealed
But in the last two years the listening figures for her London breakfast show have been on a downward spiral. Last year she haemorrhaged listeners, dropping from 307,000 to 188,000. And in the first quarter of this year her audience fell by another 23.4 per cent.
Feltz was born in London and educated at the prestigious Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls and Trinity College, Cambridge.
After becoming a journalist, she rose to fame in the 90s when she replaced Paula Yates on Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast. She went on to host her own daytime chat show on ITV and in 2001 she famously took part in the first ever series of Celebrity Big Brother, during which she apparently suffered a mental breakdown on TV. She took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2013, but was the second celebrity to be voted out.
Read more: Vanessa Feltz reveals true story behind her three-stone weight loss
Feltz was married to surgeon Michael Kurer for 17 years and spoke very openly about how she felt when their marriage broke down and she found herself single again. They divorced in 2000 and have two daughters together, Allegra and Saskia. Feltz is now a grandmother.
She lives with her partner of 13 years, singer-songwriter Ben Ofoedu (one half of pop duo Phats & Small), in North London house previously owned by art guru Charles Saatchi.
