Casualty's Tom Chambers 'mortified' after his gender pay gap comments are 'taken out of context'

Casualty actor Tom Chambers hit the headlines earlier this week when he seemingly defended the BBC’s gender pay gap, however, he has now claimed that his remarks were “taken out of context” and that he feels “mortified” by the confusion.

Tom has now insisted that he definitely does not advocate the huge pay gap between the BBC’s male and female stars, which came to light last week in the BBC’s annual report.

Speaking previously, Tom had said that he agreed his co-star, Derek Thompson, deserved to be the BBC’s highest paid actor, with Derek taking home £350,000-£399,999 a year.

He said: “It’s like being a footballer – you earn your credits.

“I’ve just done six months on Casualty, but Derek has done 31 years of service.”

Tom then continued: “My wife works really hard as a stay-at-home mum, but I’m the only one bringing in a salary for our family.

“Many men’s salaries aren’t just for them, it’s for their wife and children, too.”

However, Tom has now defended what he said, insisting that it was taken out of context.

The actor told the Press Association yesterday: “I am completely mortified by the stories that have run today and didn’t mean to offend anyone by my comments.

“I was explaining that I thought it had stemmed from that past, and shouldn’t be how things are now.

“I truly believe that change needs to happen.”

Many were left outraged by the BBC’s annual report, with it showing that some male stars get paid over £1million per year by the company, whereas the highest-earning woman, Claudia Winkleman, took home £450,000 – £499,000.

It was also revealed that Alex Jones earned £50k a year less than her male co-star, Matt Baker, despite the fact they both play an equal role in hosting The One Show.

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