Paul Hollywood becomes one of UK's best paid TV stars after banking £14 million last year

Celebrity chef Paul Hollywood has seen his dough really rise after banking more than £14 million last year.

The Great British Bake Off star paid himself a staggering £14,146,703 in 2023, according to his latest accounts. That is the equivalent of over £270,000 a week - making him one of the best paid stars on TV.

According to accounts for the company that handles his TV pay, HJP Media LLP, the Channel 4 favourite, 58, enjoyed his most lucrative year ever. The firm made a profit of £9,873,200 in 2023, while it also had additional assets worth over £4million. The bread and buns expert gave himself the lucrative pay day by rewarding himself the entire amount in dividends.

Hollywood’s income comes from TV including hit show Bake Off, which he has been a judge on since the show started in 2010. He has remained a loyal judge ever since, with his firm handshakes proving emotional for contestants.

Paul banked over £14 million in 2023

It is understood his loyalty has been rewarded with a reported £100,000 pay rise - taking his pay from the show to £600,000 a year for that one show alone. The next series is expected to start in September. He also has a lucrative deal that has seen him lend his name to ranges of cookware and ready-to-bake products in supermarkets like Waitrose and Sainsbury's.

Hollywood is said to have agreed a six-figure deal to star in a Go Compare ad with the popular Meerkats, and has benefitted from a number of other promo deals including an advert for Betty Booze cocktails where he appeared alongside Blake Lively.

With some advertising and promotional deals it is possible to sign a multi-year deal and receive the majority of money up front. The star has also made millions from hosting other TV shows including Paul Hollywood Eats Mexico, Paul Hollywood Eats Japan and Big Continental Road Trip.

And the baker has banked further millions after publishing 11 books, with his most recent release called Bake, released in 2022. Each book has sold over 700,000 copies.

The latest accounts state in the paperwork: “Profit for the financial year available for discretionary division among members was £9,873,200. Members' interest after profit for the year was £14,146,703. Repayment of capital was £14,146,703.”

Hollywood was made an MBE in a royal ceremony at Windsor Castle in April. When the news was announced last year, he congratulated fellow winners and wrote on his Instagram page: "I'm over the moon to be mentioned in the King's New Year Honours list and awarded an MBE! I'm thrilled... wow Paul Hollywood MBE!"

Some of his money may have been spent on a wedding in 2023. Hollywood married fiancée Melissa Spalding in a Byzantine style chapel set in the grounds of Cyprus' most exclusive hotel in front of 75 friends and family, according to reports in September last year.

They tied the knot at the luxury Anassa Hotel, located on the north-west Akamas peninsula, one of the most unspoilt areas of the holiday island. Guests included his Bake Off co-judge Prue Leith.

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