Craig Revel Horwood thinks Shirley Ballas should be paid "something lower" for her work on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ because of her lack of experience.
The 53-year-old television personality – who is known for his acid tongue on the judging panel for the BBC Latin and ballroom dance competition – has admitted he doesn’t believe it’s right for newest judge Shirley to be on the same pay as the rest of the panel, as she doesn’t have the same level of experience when it comes to being on TV.
Shirley took over the role of head judge on the show last year after the departure of Len Goodman, and was paid £180,000, but after a gender pay row she found herself netting an extra £70,000, bringing her total pay up to £250,000, the same as fellow judges Craig, Bruno Tonioli, and Darcey Bussell.
But Craig believes her original salary was more accurate, as it reflected her level of experience in front of the camera.
Speaking to The Sun’s Bizarre TV column, he said: "The point about this pay thing is, yes, I think women should be paid the same as men. That’s for sure. But what would you say to a woman coming in after you’ve been in the job for 15 years when they’ve done absolutely nothing to earn it? I don’t think that’s right.
"For instance Shirley Ballas in that way, you’d expect she would start on something lower because she’s never been on TV before, the show’s been going for 14 years.
"Len Goodman earned a major reputation and put the show on the map like we all did. We all created it from the beginning. And I don’t think it’s comparable. Sorry. It just isn’t."
His comments come after a debate over the gender pay gap was flared up last summer when BBC documents revealed two-thirds of stars on more than £150,000 were men.
Craig Revel Horwood: Shirley Ballas should be paid less
