How Chris Evans — the BBC’s highest paid star — makes and spends his £50 million fortune

The BBC recently revealed that Chris Evans is its highest paid star, raking in between £2.2 million and £2.25 million in the past year.

Evans has become one of the company’s most recognisable faces and has hosted some of its biggest shows. He was selected to be the lead presenter of last year’s “Top Gear” reboot but quit after the first season, and he now presents the breakfast show on Radio 2.

However, his £2.2 million pay cheque from the BBC accounts for only a fraction of his fortune.

According to the Sunday Times Rich List, his estimated net worth is around £55 million, thanks to decades spent presenting and his media production company, Ginger Media Group.

But where does he spend all that money?

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Evans began his career on BBC's London radio station GLR, but found his break presenting "The Big Breakfast," Channel 4's early morning breakfast show in 1992.

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He quickly became a household name and left "The Big Breakfast" in 1994, returning to the BBC to host Radio 1's breakfast show. The audience loved him and he took on another presenting gig with Channel 4's "TFI Friday" at the same time — pulling in salaries from the two competing companies.

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In 1993, he founded his own media production company, Ginger Media Group, which created a series of hit TV shows — the first of which was "Don't Forget Your Tooth Brush" for Channel 4. The format was sold globally and amassed millions of pounds.

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The production company was wildly successful and in 2000, the Ginger Media Group was bought out for £225 million, netting Evans around £75 million personally in a mix of cash and stock to be paid out over time. This is where the majority of his fortune has come from.

Source: The Guardian

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Despite the sale bringing Evans £75 million, he said it would not greatly affect his life as he would still be getting up at 4 a.m to do his breakfast show. He was estimated to be worth around £30 million before the sale went through.

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Throughout his career, he has worked for Virgin, BBC, and Channel 4, taking prime time morning slots on BBC Radio 2. He was even named the highest paid entertainer in the UK in 2000.

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He presented one season of the rebooted car show "Top Gear" in 2016. He signed a three-year contract that would have been worth £1 million a year, but quit after one season following a near-universal panning from viewers and critics.

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So how does he spend his vast fortune? Evans has always been a self-professed petrolhead and has one of the most famous car collections in the UK, with a real passion for vintage Ferraris.

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He famously bought the most expensive car ever sold at auction (at the time) in 2010 when he purchased a 1963 Ferrari 250 GT for £12 million — only 36 of this model were made.

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Part of his car collection also includes a replica of the "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" car which he paid around £500,000 for. He then spent even more having it restored.

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He married pop star Billie Piper in 2001. However, the couple divorced 6 years later with Piper saying she would take no money from him in the settlement.

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He also bought a £330,000 four bed house in Cheshire for his estranged daughter as a late wedding gift.

Source: Mirror

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Chris loves to play golf and will play in charity games as much as he can as he is a big supporter of Children in Need — a charity which raises money for disadvantaged children in the UK. His radio show has raised millions more for the charity over the years.

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After winning one charity golf tournament he gave the prize of a £10,000 diamond to his caddy, 17-year-old Natalie Harrison.

Source: BBC

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He also owns a pub in Surrey which he placed on the market in 2015 for £1.15 million, but the asking price has since fallen to £849,950.