Fern Britton denies she left This Morning over pay gap row as she had ‘no idea’ what Phillip Schofield earned
Fern Britton has denied being involved in a pay gap row involving Phillip Schofield (Picture: Hello!..
Fern Britton has spoken out over previous suggestions that she quit This Morning over an alleged pay gap dispute involving Phillip Schofield.
The presenter fronted the ITV daytime show alongside Schofield for ten years until she left in 2009 – amid rumours that she quit because her co-host was being paid more for the other show they co-hosted, All Star Mr and Mrs.
But speaking to Hello! Fern has put those rumours to bed once and for all – saying she didn’t even know how much Schofield was paid.
‘That certainly wasn’t true, not least because I had no idea what Phillip had been paid,’ Fern explained.
‘I knew what I was being paid and it was more than fair.’
She went on: ‘It is appalling that, if you are doing the same job as a man, you are paid less and I am absolutely all for equal pay but at the time, even if Phillip had been paid more than me, he was doing more programmes on television.
‘It is wrong for someone else to be paid more than you are for the same job. But it’s terribly important to find out where your “enough” is because everybody’s different and I was very happy with my “enough”.’
The 60-year-old – who is married to TV chef Phil Vickery – also opened up about the real reason she quit the show, saying simply it was the right time for her to go.
‘I did 10 years of it and I loved that show – I can’t tell you how much I loved it. But after 10 years I just felt it was right to stop,’ she explained.
The full interview is in the new issue of Hello! magazine which is out now.
Got a story?
If you've got a story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk Entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.
MORE: Fern Britton will return to This Morning eight years after she quit the ITV sofa
