The broadcaster has given 10p to charity for every phone vote cast during the reality TV series since 2006, but now says it cannot afford to do so. It admitted that the vote line had been losing money over the past few years and that the slump in advertising meant it now needed to start making a profit.
Last year, £300,000 was raised for charity from phone line votes. The money was split between Scope, suicide prevention charity Papyrus and a cystic fibrosis charity.
Phone votes for the 10th series, which started last week will cost 35p from a landline.
The launch show attracted an average of 5.1m viewers.
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