Former BBC presenter Jermaine Jenas has broken his silence in his first interview since being sacked from the BBC.
The former footballer was removed from Match Of The Day and The One Show in August 2024 following complaints about workplace conduct.
Appearing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Friday, the 43-year-old said he has decided to speak out after reaching “a point where there was a lot of uncertainty in my life” and “a lot of fear in terms of the direction”.
“It’s been a tough two year period, particularly for my family,” said Jermaine, who recently shared his hopes of rebuilding his life in a post on social media.
The former One Show host said he “got to this point where I felt like I need to start speaking” to “see if there was anybody else out there that felt how I felt”.
“I was in a place where I was like, I don’t know what’s next currently, and then there was this flourish of people saying that’s exactly how I feel,” he said.
Reflecting on the impact on his family life, Jermaine said: “I lost everything: my job, my family. Everything was taken away from me and that’s not for me to decide the punishments, but that’s exactly what happened.
“My feelings aside, I was thinking about my children and my wife Ellie, what I put her through. It has been hard for them and continues to be.”
© Hoda DavaineAddressing the messaging scandal, Jermaine said that he’s “always apologised to everybody that was involved”.
“I was in a position of power in my job and it was something that I shouldn’t have been doing,” he admitted. “It was also a marital thing. I needed to apologise to my wife.”
Explaining why he decided to appear on Good Morning Britain, Jermaine shared: “I’m here because this was a learning curve in my life. People make mistakes.
“Are we in a society now that we don’t allow people to learn from their mistakes and move forward in life? It feels like that’s where I’ve been for the past couple of years.”
© Getty ImagesJermaine also said that he’s “not here to defend myself in any shape or form,” adding, “I accept those punishments. I know what I did and I know what I did was wrong.
“I’m here to explain to people my own experiences, what I’ve been through and what I’ve done and the impact it’s had on everybody in my life,” he continued. “I’m not sitting here begging and pleading for my job back.”
Jermaine’s relationship with his family
When asked about his relationship with his children since the scandal, Jermaine said: “It’s been good, it’s been up and down also.”
“It’s been a very, very tricky spell,” he continued. “I’ve got an 18-year-old and a 13-year-old who are very aware about social media and what’s going on, so having some very open and honest conversations with them as a father has been very difficult. At the same time, you’re trying to protect the nine and four-year-old.”
Praising his wife Ellie, whom he split from last year, he added: “It’s where Ellie has been absolutely incredible throughout the whole process in maintaining a consistency in their lives and I’ll always be grateful to her for that.”
Jermaine’s departure from the BBC
After being sacked by the BBC, Jermaine apologised and said he did “nothing illegal” and that “inappropriate messages” sent were “between two consenting adults”.
He told The Sun that the messages were a “huge error of judgement” for which he was “deeply sorry”.
© BBCHe also told the paper that he was receiving therapy.
The father-of-four continued: “I feel so ashamed. I’ve let everybody down – my colleagues, my friends and, most importantly, I’ve let my family down.”
Before his departure, Jermaine was a permanent co-host of The One Show, having joined the programme in 2020. He was also a regular pundit on sports programmes Match Of The Day and Match Of The Day 2, as well as a presenter on BBC Radio 5 Live.
The breakdown of Jermaine’s marriage
Just months after Jermaine left the BBC, he split up with his wife, Ellie Penfold, after 16 years.
Ellie shared the news on her Instagram Story in March 2025. “I never imagined I would have to share something so personal with the public, but given the situation, I feel it’s necessary,” she wrote.
© Getty Images“After 16 years together and 4 wonderful children, Jermaine and I have decided to part ways. We will remain friends and continue to co-parent. We kindly ask that you respect our children’s privacy during this challenging time.”
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