Ex dishes on Graham Norton's wine habit, pet obsession

Graham Norton.

Graham Norton's former partner has revealed the Irish-born chat show host often drinks up to four bottles of wine a night - sometimes until he passes out in his pets' beds.

Trevor Patterson, who dated Norton for two years before a split in May, claimed the entertainer would drink so much that he was sometimes found sleeping in his dogs' bed at their home in Wapping, East London.

Patterson, 30, said he shared 'everything' with flamboyant comedian Norton but frequently found himself playing second fiddle to their labradoodle called Bailey and terrier Madge.

Norton's incredible obsession with his pets, he said, meant that they were treated like the children he never had to the extent that he once chartered a private jet to fly his dogs to New York with him because he couldn't bear to leave them behind.

His revelations come amid revelations Norton earned a staggering £2.61million ($NZ5.1 million) from the BBC last year.

Norton, 50, received the sum in fees and salary via his company for presenting BBC1's The Graham Norton Show and hosting a Saturday programme on Radio Two.

The details have come to light after the BBC launched a cost-cutting campaign aimed at making savings of around three per cent which has included plans to cut fees paid to top entertainers.

Over the past year, the corporation has slashed the amount it spent on its top stars - those earning £1million or more - from £9.7million to £5.6million.

But for a lucky few it seems, the BBC are still happy to shell out large sums to prevent them defecting to rival channels.

Norton is one of 14 top BBC talents who were paid between £500,000 and £5million a year, however the BBC has declined to name them all.

Financial information obtained from Companies House shows that the entertainer received £2.61million in 'presenter fees, production fees and royalties' from his production company So Television in the year ended July 2012.

He also made £10million from selling the company to ITV last August.

So Television, itself also had a good year increasing pre-tax profits 89 per cent year on year from £1.22million to £2.31.

At the same time revenues increased by 14.5 per cent year on year to £13.59million with two-thirds of this income coming from Britain.

A BBC spokesman said: 'The BBC publishes talent pay in bands but does not comment on individuals' salaries. The BBC has saved almost £3m on the talent pay bill over the past year, and almost £30m since 2008.'

- Daily Mail