Jermaine Jenas has admitted to sending “inappropriate messages” to women after he was sacked by the BBC.
The former footballer, who worked as a pundit on Match Of The Day and was a co-host of The One Show before his BBC contract was terminated over allegations about his behaviour, insisted “nothing physical ever happened” but confessed to “cheating” on his wife in an interview with The Sun.
He said: “I’m not proud of what I wrote and what I said. This is all on me and I fully accept there is a level of responsibility that needs to be upheld when you’re a member of the BBC.”
Jenas insisted “I did nothing illegal” and argued the messages were with “two consenting adults”. “With one she made it clear she was interested,” he added.
Apologising to his family, friends and colleagues, the 41-year-old married father-of-four said: “I have let myself down, my family, friends and colleagues down, and I owe everyone an apology – especially the women with whom I was messaging. I am so, so sorry.”
He added: “I think it would be fair to say I have a problem. I know I self-sabotage and have a self-destructive streak when it comes to my relationship especially, and I know I need help. And I am getting help.
“I have made a lot of mistakes, and I am asking myself a lot of questions at the moment. I know there’s a lot of work that needs to be done, and it will be hard.”
Jenas told The Sun he was sacked by the BBC on Monday, five days after the initial HR consultation process began.
He continued to stress he was unhappy with how the broadcaster handled his dismissal and claimed he was fired over video call while on a family holiday with his wife Ellie and their three children.
” You’re having to sit there and listen to what you’ve said,” he said. “I’m not proud of anything.
“It’s embarrassing, and obviously there’s four people there on a Zoom call, basically, just listening to all of this, and reading out my messages.
“I think I was in shock at the time, there was a lot to process. But I’m the married one, I’m at fault, and I was sort of playing this blame game in my head.”
The former Newcastle and Tottenham player also told The Sun he had seen his doctor before the claims against him emerged and he had started therapy “to try and address these issues, where they stem from, and why I have been doing this”.
He insisted however it “was not the case” that he sent any sexual images or videos, and said: “I feel people don’t know the truth and are forming opinions about me that aren’t accurate.”
The news of Jenas’s sacking broke as he started presenting a three-hour drive-time programme on talkSPORT radio with fellow former footballer Jermaine Pennant.
Speaking to a talkSPORT reporter on Thursday, he said: “I can’t really talk about it. As you can probably see, I’m not happy about it. But currently as it stands I’m going to have to let the lawyers deal with it.
“There’s two sides… that’s all I can say now.”
Read more:
Who is Jermaine Jenas? His career so far
Jenas last presented The One Show in mid-July, and last appeared on Match Of The Day in May.
Jenas, who earned between £190,000 and £194,999 at the BBC for his work on the FA Cup, Match Of The Day and the World Cup in 2022/23, also works for TNT Sports.
Both TalkSPORT and TNT said on Thursday it took the allegations seriously and had no immediate plans to work with Jenas in the near future.
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