Clare Balding has said she is against female footballers being paid the same as the men - because "male footballers get paid far too much".

She said the enormous salaries mean the men are "separated hugely from their fan base" and that is not something she wants to see in the women's game.

The TV presenter was speaking on ITVs Loose Women ahead of next week's BT Sport Action Woman Awards ceremony 2019, which she will be hosting.

However, she does believe in equality in other areas. When asked if she felt viewing figures for men's and women's sport would ever be the same, she said: "Yeah, the figures for women's sport this year have been amazing in terms of audience.

"The audience is there," she continued. "We haven't had a better year for women's sport.

"The women's football world cup was obviously a massive hit and we’re thrilled about that. The women’s netball world cup was a big success in Liverpool and I love the fact that more and more girls are seeing a different range of sports and knowing they can do that and actually it can reward them as a full-time career."

She also praised Billie Jean King for inspiring women to speak out and admitted that following an interview with her she came away with the new mindset of, 'I need to say more' because 'being outspoken is a quality that had traditionally been respected in men and not in women'. 

Balding highlighted the importance of events such as the BT Sport Action Woman Awards in celebrating all different types of women in sport.

Voting for BT Sport Action Woman is now closed. The nominees are: 

Dina Asher-Smith, Lucy Bronze, Jamie Chadwick, Bryony Frost, Pippa Funnell, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Jade Jones and Dame Sarah Storey.