GARY LINEKER has revealed that he has turned down multiple reality TV shows since it was announced that he would be leaving the BBC.
Lineker, 64, will step down from his post as host of Match of the Day at the end of the season.
He will be replaced by the trio of Kelly Cates, Gabby Logan, and Mark Chapman.
He will, however, be kept on to lead the Beeb’s coverage of the 2026 World Cup in the US and Mexico.
He will also continue to front the broadcaster’s FA Cup offerings.
In an interview with The Times, Lineker admitted that he had several offers from reality TV shows to appear.
According to Lineker, the producers of Big Brother tapped up his agent to enquire about the former England striker’s interest in appearing on the programme.
They were met with a £100million price tag, although Lineker revealed that he “wouldn’t have done it for £100million either,” with the sum being “a little over their budget”.
In the interview, Lineker, who earned 80 caps for his country, scoring 48 goals, said that he had become quite the chef in his spare time.
That had also led to offers from culinary shows.
He insisted: “I’ve actually been offered to do cookery programmes, but I don’t want to, because whilst I’m a very keen cook and I think I’m a good cook, I’m not Gordon f***ing Ramsay.”
Lineker believes that he is a better presenter now than he ever has been, with his podcast “The Rest is Football” helping him behind the microphone and in front of the camera.
However, that venture did not help sway the BBC’s decision to keep him on.
He said: “I think I’m a better presenter now than I’ve ever been.
“I know everything that can go wrong, and everything that can go right. Which is a good time to go.
“There wasn’t a great desire to give me another three-year contract.”
Lineker got the Match of the Day gig in 1999, replacing Des Lynam in the hotseat.
He was also the Beeb’s lead presenter for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and he was reported to be the corporation’s highest-paid presenter in July 2022.
He was suspended from Match of the Day in 2023 for criticising the British government’s immigration policy on social media.
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