Adrian Chiles reveals struggle after 'earning a lot less' following TV axe as work 'dried up'

Sports presenter has opened up about how he struggled with "earning a lot less" after his TV work "suddenly dried up."

Adrian was a mainstay of prime-time TV when he presented 2 as well as co-presenting until 2010. He then switched to working for Sport after signing a lucrative contract with the broadcaster.

However, in 2015 they terminated his contract and after a 20 year career in TV his work suddenly dried up leading to his finances taking a downward spiral. He had also had a struggle with alcohol as well as battling anxiety when he was axed from ITV breakfast show in 2011.

Talking to , the Radio 5, presenter said: “The ups and downs with my income have been stressful over the years, but I’ve always been quite careful with money. I never spent more than I had. When I joined ITV, I started earning a lot of money, which was . Then things went the other way, and suddenly, I was earning a lot less."

However, while the change of money was strange for him, he says he is still "relatively well off by anybody’s standards." He added: “There was a moment when I was earning more, and I bought a flat. I sat at this huge bloody table and thought: What am I doing?What madness is this? It was a real moment of realisation for me. I didn’t regret buying the flat, but I tried to buy less stuff after that. The more you have, the more you spend. If I won the lottery, I’d probably spend it all on an ad campaign saying: Buy Less Stuff.”

Adrian confessed that now when he does splurge it's usually in a pretty low-key way. He explained that the most frivolous thing he bought recently was a compass for his car dashboard as he detailed "Suddenly, I wanted to know which direction I was driving in.”

Adrian previously hosted hit One satirical news quiz, Have I Got News for You. He has also hosted Working Lunch and The Money Programme, Panorama, as well as a string of documentaries, and The Apprentice: Your Fired. He also appeared on the special in 2021.

Earlier this year after seeing a store in the West Midlands that specialised in "witchy supplies" and is also convinced witches are a force for good despite being terrified of them in the past.

He wrote in his regular column for The Guardian: "I saw a strange thing on the way to Cradley Heath. Or thought I did. I was driving my mum's car to a garage for a service. I passed a shop for witches. 'Witchy Supplies', it said on the sign. I did a double take, giving thanks there was no one in front of me or I'd have driven into them."

"Later, I mentioned this place to a couple of friends who live and work in that area and they looked at me funny. What? A witches' supply shop? In Colley Gate? Are you sure?" I wondered if I'd dreamed it. So when I collected the car, I risked another drive past and, yes, there it was. The Wicklow Witch. Candles, Crystals, Witchy Supplies."

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