Gary Lineker turns down Celebrity Big Brother with 'ridiculous demand'

Gary Lineker cheekily rebuffed an offer to appear on 'Celebrity Big Brother' by demanding a whopping £50 million fee. The 'Match of the Day' presenter, who is set to step down from his role at the end of the current season, disclosed that he was approached for the ITV reality series just last week.

During his 'The Rest Is Football' podcast with co-stars Micah Richards and Alan Shearer, he revealed: "Do you know, last week I got requested on Celebrity Big Brother.

"My agent sent it through jokingly, and he replied, Oh yes, Gary's fee will be £50 million!" Despite the response being tongue-in-cheek, it appears the show's bosses took it as a serious demand.

Gary added: "He did it completely as a joke, obviously, and they came back and said, 'Oh, that's a little bit... it's not within our budget.' " Shearer cautioned that Gary's departure from 'MOTD' means reality TV bosses will be inviting him "to go on all of them".

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However, the 64-year-old retired footballer firmly stated: "I can tell you now, don't bother asking..." Gary will continue to host the 'MOTD Top Ten' podcast while 'The Rest is Football' will air on BBC Sounds.

He has also "agreed in principle" to extend his contract until the 2026 World Cup and will lead the BBC's coverage of the tournament and the broadcaster's FA Cup coverage for the 2025/26 season.

He expressed: "I’m delighted to continue my long association with BBC Sport and would like to thank all those who made this happen."

Negotiations for a new contract with the BBC began in October for their top-earning star, who rakes in over £1.3 million annually. Alex Kay-Jelski, director of BBC Sport, acknowledged the presenter's significant impact on 'Match of the Day', saying: "We want to thank him for everything he has done for the show, which continues to attract millions of viewers each week."

He added: "He’ll be hugely missed on the show but we’re so happy he is staying with the BBC to present live football."