Gary Lineker has stepped away from Match of the Day after 25 years, but his next TV appearances are seemingly not going to be reality TV.
The sports presenter, who’s still set to front the BBC coverage of the 2o26 World Cup, has revealed he’s been approached to star on Celebrity Big Brother, but that he didn’t take the offer too seriously.
Speaking with Micah Richards and Alan Shearer on their The Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker said his agent played a little prank on the Celebrity Big Brother bosses, asking for an eye-watering, completely fake fee.
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“My agent sent it through jokingly, and he replied, ‘Oh yes, Gary’s fee will be £50 million!'” Lineker said, explaining that the show’s producers had no idea he was joking.
“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 then warned Lineker that his Celebrity Big Brother offer will only be the first of many now his schedule has cleared up a little, telling him: “You’re gonna get asked to go on all of them.”
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Don’t hold your breath to see the sports broadcaster doing a Bushtucker Trial or swaying across the Strictly dancefloor anytime soon, though.
“I can tell you now, don’t bother asking…” Lineker said in response to Shearer’s comment.
Earlier this year, the former footballer announced he’d step down from his long-running role on Match of the Day, which he’s been helming since 1999. Lineker is expected to continue hosting the highlight show until the end of the season.
Celebrity Big Brother will return on ITV2 and ITVX.
Read more Celebrity Big Brother news on our dedicated homepage
Reporter, Digital Spy
Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).
