Vorderman 'quits over 90% pay cut'

26 July 2008 05:43pm

Countdown presenter Carol Vorderman quit the show after she was told to take or leave a 90% pay cut, her manager has claimed.

Vorderman, who worked on the Channel 4 game show for 26 years, had offered to accept a pay cut of one-third in line with the show's 33% budget cut, John Miles said.

But she said she felt she was left with no alternative but to quit after she was told to take or leave the offer.

Her former co-presenter, Richard Whiteley, died in 2005 and Mr Miles claimed one of the show's bosses told Ms Vorderman: "Countdown easily survived without Richard, it can easily survive without you."

Ms Vorderman said she was releasing the statement "so that the Countdown viewers and all the team know the truth".

She added: "I am devastated that my joyous time with one of the best programmes on TV has ended this way. I was happy to continue doing the numbers and letters for years to come. I wish all of my friends and colleagues every success in the future. I'll miss them all."

Vorderman, 47, has been with the show since it began in 1982 and was the first woman to appear on Channel 4.

Mr Miles said: "Since Carol's departure from Countdown there has been a series of 'off the record' media briefings that insinuated that Carol had exited the programme because she was demanding more money. This is not true."

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