As the aftermath of yesterday’s revelations of the salaries of the highest-paid BBC stars continues to be a talking point, radio presenter Chris Evans has revealed that he turned to the advice of his mother as he sought to deal with the fallout.

It was revealed on Wednesday (July 19th) that Evans was paid between £2.2 million and £2.499 million during 2016/2017 for his work on the BBC, which included his short-lived presenting stint on the revived ‘Top Gear’ and his ongoing BBC Radio 2 job.

That figure was four times that of Claudia Winkleman, the highest-earning woman at the BBC who earned £450k-£499k for her presenting role on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, which has given way to a debate about a gender pay gap at the Beeb. MPs are reportedly set to grill the corporation on the issue, it has been since been revealed.

Chris EvansChris Evans leaving BBC Radio 2 in February 2017

Speaking on his Radio 2 breakfast show on Thursday morning, 51 year old Evans revealed he called his 91 year old mother, Minnie Beardsall, to ask for her advice on how to deal with the public scrutiny he’s been facing since the revelation.

Asking listeners how they would respond if asked about whether they deserved their salaries or not, he admitted that he rang his mother. “She's 91, she's very wise, she was in the war, and I asked her what she thought.”

More: Chris Evans’ BBC Radio 2 show under Ofcom investigation over Jeremy Irons’ ‘F-bomb’ [archive]

“She said: ‘Hang on a minute, love, let me just turn the telly down’, she was watching ‘Columbo’ on catch-up at the time, as she often is.

“She came back on the phone and said: ‘Tell them that your mum, who's a nurse for most of her life, always told you after your dad died to try to find a job you loved, just like I love nursing, and earn what you can, when you can, while you can – which you did almost straight away from when you were a paper boy earning £1.50 a week for freezing your bits off and falling off your bike every two minutes, right through until what you're doing now. And tell them: if your bosses don't think you're worth it one day, they'll sort that out soon enough’.

“So there you are I’m going with what my mum said. I had to say that this morning and I think it’s only right and proper that I said that. I thank my mum for her advice – I live by her word and I will die by her word.”

More: Chris Evans says marriage “doesn’t work”, finds it “weird” [archive]