Jermaine Jenas has said that he is "not happy" and is speaking to a lawyer following his shock firing from The One Show and Match of the Day amid allegations that he sent unsolicited messages to a female colleague - adding that there are "two sides to every story".
While the situation is ongoing, the retired Premier League footballer is being supported by his family - find out more about his partner and children here...
Jermaine's wife, Ellie Penfold
Jermaine and Ellie have been married since 2011 and share three children: Geneva, 11, Olivia, eight, and two-year-old son Jacob. Jermaine also has a 16-year-old daughter, Sancha, from a previous relationship.
The TV personality and Ellie, a former model, live in a £1 million home in Hertfordshire. Jermaine has previously opened up about their relationship, revealing to MailOnline that the pair had struggled with their busy schedules in the past. He said: "It was a lot to do with the kids and the fact that I had this new career starting, and I was out and about meeting new people and going to shows… it was all glitzy, but for my wife, it was like nappies and milk.
© Instagram"I am a very hands-on dad, and I'm always trying to help, but still, she wasn't getting that fulfillment in her own life. I had to address it, and over the last five years, I always say to her once or twice a year, 'Just go away for three days or something.'"
He added: "Plus, my social life has settled down so much. There was a point where I might finish work and meet some mates in London and get in at like 11 pm, and she would do the school run, and then I'd do it again two days later, and all of a sudden, in her mind, she is thinking I'm just going out and taking the mick. My life is a bit simpler as well, which helped."
Jermaine celebrated Ellie's birthday back in May with a series of holiday snaps, writing: "Happy birthday, Mrs. J. I love you… we love you more than you could ever imagine. You deserve the world."
He also shared a post showing his appreciation for her on Mother's Day 2023, writing: "Happy Mother’s Day, @elliejenas. Thank you for everything you do. We’re so lucky to have you. Wishing all the amazing mums out there a happy Mother’s Day too."
Jermaine's four children
Previously speaking to HELLO! back in July at Wimbledon, the presenter opened up about his children and revealed whether or not they plan to follow in his footsteps as a footballer. Jermaine said: "I want them to do what they want. I don’t know if they’ve got a hundred percent of what it takes to be footballers. It’s a strange thing to say, but I think their lives have been too nice, in a weird way."
The star is full of pride for his eldest daughter Sancha, who lives in the US with her mother, as she is training for the 100m sprint. He said: "She’s quick, so hopefully, you’ll be seeing her soon."
As for Geneva, he said: "She loves football and plays for a team. She’s also into cross-country and swimming. Like her sister Olivia, who enjoys art and drawing, she’s very creative. I love her for it."
At just two years old, Jacob might not have his future career planned just yet, with Jermaine saying: "At the moment, he’s picking up golf clubs and playing football, and whatever one he decides to do, he’s going to have someone on his back who knows how to get him there."
Difficult childhood
While Jermaine had a positive relationship with his father, who left his family home when he was a teenager growing up in Nottingham, he admitted that the experience drove him to train harder to make it as a professional footballer. He said: "You need to have a ball at your feet 24/7. I had a ball at my feet 24/7, and all the technique in the world still wouldn’t have been enough.
© Adam Davy - EMPICS"I loved football, but you’ve got to have something else in you. I had an edge, and most players I came across had that too. There was something that happened in all of our lives that we used as a positive.
"For me, it was when my dad left home, and it was just me and my mum. I had a great relationship with my dad, but I thought: ‘I’m going to use that. All of that anger I’ve got, I’m going to use that.’"
Match of the Day hopes
Before the incident with the BBC, Jermaine was among the top names tipped to replace Gary Lineker as a MOTD pundit. Speaking about whether he would like the gig, he told us: "I have a lot of dreams, and those dreams probably change every six months. I’m just a driven individual.
© BBC"I’m trying to achieve the best I can possibly be in the field that I’m in. With that particular job, people saw what I was already doing in that field and put one and one together and got two—‘Gary’s coming to an end, Jermaine is doing great work, he’s got to be in line.’ But there are people like Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan, and Alex Scott, myself, and a few others who would love that job. At the same time, I’ve got other things going on.
© Getty Images"You just don’t know, do you? Like life, you don’t always get what you feel like you deserve. I’d be very grateful to get that job and do my best with it, but essentially, Gary is brilliant at it, and he’ll leave when he decides to leave."
