Ray D’Arcy has insisted he won’t be taking on Ant and Dec with his own version of Saturday Night Takeaway – as he’s too old.
But Ray, 50, insisted there are no plans for him to front a programme – as he has “no desire” to do so, and there isn’t the money in RTE.
No need to worry: Ray isn’t taking on Ant and Dec | ITV
Asked if he was making his own version of Saturday Night Takeaway, Ray said: “No. It’s very difficult to do.
“Huge budgets which we don’t have. When I was in my 30s I would have aspired to doing something like that, but, no, absolutely no desire now.”
However Ray – who previously hosted The Den, The Rose of Tralee, and Blackboard Jungle – is interested in a chat show of his own.
Return: Ray is back at RTE with Radio 1 show | RTE
He said: “It does [interest me]. It does because that’s what we have been doing.”
It comes as Ray defended his massive new salary, revealed he was forced to take a pay cut leaving Today FM.
The radio star is rumoured to be taking home a massive €500,000 a year for his new Radio 1 show.
But Ray admitted: “I’m getting paid less than I was. I am very well paid. That’s the nature of what I do.”
He added: “I would prefer if people didn’t know what I was earning, but I definitely wasn’t motivated by money.”