Jonathan Ross to Leave BBC

LONDON: After 13 years at the BBC, talk-show host Jonathan Ross is leaving the British public broadcaster when his contract is up at the end of July.

Ross, the BBC’s highest-paid star, said his decision not to renew his contact was not "financially motivated"—the pubcaster has come under fire for how much it pays its stars and has said it would renegotiate new contracts in a bid to cut costs. Ross has been earning about £6 million a year, according to reports.

"It’s probably not a bad time for me to move on—and it’s probably not a bad time for the BBC, either," Ross told reporters in the U.K.

Jana Bennett, the director of BBC Vision, said of Ross’s decision: "It’s been a difficult year for him and I understand why he feels it’s the right thing to do."

The popular presenter was embroiled in a 2008 controversy over phone calls made on Russell Brand’s Radio 2 show to actor Andrew Sachs.