Rio Olympics and Wimbledon anchor is likely to be one of the UK’s highest-earning female presenters

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

The BBC’s Rio Olympics anchor Clare Balding potentially earned more than £500,000 last year, cementing her position as one of the UK’s highest-earning female presenters.

The sports broadcaster’s company, Clearly Clare, made £516,712 in the year to the end of October 2015.



According to documents filed at Companies House Balding, who works for the BBC covering events including Wimbledon, Channel 4 and BT, receives payments for services as a TV presenter and royalties as an author.

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Accounts for Clearly Clare, which is co-owned by her wife Alice Arnold, shows that shareholders’ funds rose from £1.24m to £1.76m year on year.

The difference between the two figures is the earnings of the company, but would not include any dividend payments if they were made.



The figures could also include the earnings of Arnold.

The filing also shows that last year a fixed asset worth £1.33m was added to the company.



While the asset is not named, one City analyst said it is typical of some sort of future investment such as a house, holiday home or commercial building.

Balding also sold off an un-named asset for £300,000.

The amount the company had in cash at the bank fell from £1m to £485,000.

Balding’s earnings have emerged as a debate grows over what proportion of the BBC’s top stars should be made to officially reveal their salaries.

The government’s white paper on the future of the BBC has settled at those on more than £450,000, after originally mulling a threshold of £150,000.

Last week a committee of MPs published a report calling for the level to be those on more than £143,000, approximately the level of the combined ministerial and parliamentary salary of the prime minister (£143,462 a year).

BBC presenter Andrew Neil said this week that he is happy to have his salary made public, admitting he does earn more than the PM, but only if the number of programmes he fronts each year is made clear.