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Former footballer Jermaine Jenas has been sacked by the BBC over allegations of inappropriate behaviour.

Read latest: Jenas admits to sending ‘inappropriate messages’

While he was on air on a radio show on Thursday, the BBC announced the One Show co-host and Match Of The Day pundit, 41, was “no longer part of our presenting line-up”.

The news of his sacking broke moments after Jenas started presenting a three-hour drive-time programme on talkSPORT with fellow former footballer Jermaine Pennant.

Jermaine Jenas in October 2023. Pic: PA
Image:
Jermaine Jenas in October 2023. Pic: PA

BBC News reported Jenas’s contract was terminated earlier this week due to alleged issues relating to workplace behaviour.

So who is the former Premier League player?

Born in 1983, Jenas started his football career at Nottingham Forest – where he made his first team debut aged 17 – before moving to Newcastle United in 2002.

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He spent most of his career at Tottenham Hotspur, making 155 appearances and scoring 21 goals from 2005 to 2013, before signing for Queen’s Park Rangers.

Jenas also made 21 appearances for the England national team and scored one goal – against Switzerland in a friendly at Wembley Stadium in 2008.

He announced his retirement from football in 2016, having not played since a knee injury in training in April 2014.

Sky Bet Championship 2013/14, AFC Bournemouth v QPR, Dean Court (Bournemouth, GB) - 05 Apr 2014
Jermaine Jenas of QPR
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Jenas retired in 2016 but had not played since 2014 after a knee injury in training. Pic: Rex Features

Jenas started a career as a football pundit after his contract with Queen’s Park Rangers expired in 2014. He made his first appearance for ITV Sport as an analyst for the Europa League.

He started making regular guest appearances on the BBC’s Match Of The Day and BT Sports the same year.

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Jenas 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, according to official figures published last year.

The married father-of-four joined The One Show in 2020 as a stand-in co-host following the departure of Matt Baker, and he was made a permanent fixture the following year.

The One Show's hosts Jermaine Jenas, Alex Jones and Roman Kemp. Pic: PA
Image:
Jenas was a co-host on The One Show with Alex Jones and Roman Kemp. Pic: PA

BBC News reported Jenas’s contract was terminated this week over alleged issues with workplace behaviour, with allegations involving digital communications, such as texts.

It was reported the allegations were raised with the corporation a few weeks ago. The BBC announced Jenas’s departure on Thursday but didn’t give further details of the allegations.

While live on TalkSPORT as the reports emerged, Jenas was asked about the allegations but declined to answer.

“Look, I can’t really talk about it,” he said. “I, as you can probably see, I am not happy about it. But currently, as it stands, I’m going to have to let the lawyers deal with it.

“You know, there’s two sides to every story, as we know. So, that’s all I can say right now.”

A spokesperson for talkSPORT later said the station was “made aware of a breaking news story involving Jermaine Jenas as he went on air for a one-off presenting slot on talkSPORT Drive”.

A statement added: “We made a decision – with Jermaine – that he should continue to present the show.”

They also said there are “no plans for Jermaine to broadcast as a presenter on talkSPORT in the immediate future”.

His agency MC Saatchi said it no longer represents him following the news of his sacking.

TNT Sports said it would not comment on Jenas’s employment with the BBC. It is understood he is not scheduled to appear on the platform’s channels for a number of weeks.

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Protesters throw powder on Tower Bridge during London Marathon

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Protesters throw powder on Tower Bridge during London Marathon

Two pro-Palestinian demonstrators have thrown red powder on Tower Bridge – just moments before leading runners in the London Marathon went past.

The protesters were arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance and remain in custody, said the Metropolitan Police.

A video shared by Youth Demand, which is calling for a trade embargo on Israel, shows two people jumping over a barrier that separates spectators from the race course.

The pair, wearing t-shirts that say “Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel”, are then seen standing in the middle of the road on the bridge.

Pic: LNP
Image:
Pic: LNP

They throw red powder in the air as an official marathon car goes past displaying the race time.

A motorbike with a cameraman on board continues along the route, while a second motorbike stops and one of the riders gets off and pushes the pair out of the way, just before the men’s elite runners pass.

Several police officers then jump over the barrier and detain the pair, the footage shows.

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There appeared to be no impact on the marathon.

More than 56,000 participants were expected to take part in the 26.2-mile race through the capital.

Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the men’s elite race in a time of two hours, two minutes and 27 seconds, while Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa shattered the women’s-only world record in two hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds.

Assefa beat the previous best of two hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds set last year in London by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir.

Read more:
Sky’s Beth Rigby running marathon in honour of ‘dearest friend’
Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform

Pic: LNP
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Pic: LNP

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “At around 10.38am, two protesters from Youth Demand jumped over barriers at Tower Bridge and threw red paint on to the road.

“Marathon event staff intervened to remove the protesters from the path of the men’s elite race which was able to pass unobstructed.”

The force added that they were “quickly supported by police officers who arrested the protesters on suspicion of causing a public nuisance”.

The Met said the paint “appeared to be chalk-based” and was not expected to “present a hazard to runners yet to pass this point”.

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Kemi Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform after next week’s council elections

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Kemi Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform after next week's council elections

Kemi Badenoch has not ruled out forming coalitions at a local level with Reform after the council elections next week.

Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, the Conservative leader did however categorically rule out a pact with Nigel Farage’s party on a national level.

“I am not going into any coalition with Nigel Farage… read my lips,” she said.

However, she did not deny that deals could be struck with Reform at a local level, arguing that some councils might be under no overall control and in that case, “you have to do what is right for your local area”.

“You look at the moment, we are in coalition with Liberal Democrats, with independents,” she said. “We’ve been in coalition with Labour before at local government level.

“They [councillors] have to look at who the people are that they’re going into coalition with and see how they can deliver for local people.”

She added: “What I don’t want to hear is talks of stitch-ups or people planning things before the results are out. They have to do what is right for their communities.”

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A total of 23 councils are up for grabs when voters go to the polls on Thursday 1 May – mostly in places that were once deemed Tory shires, until last year’s general election.

It includes 14 county councils, all but two of which have been Conservative-controlled, as well as eight unitary authorities, all but one of which are Tory.

Ms Badenoch has set expectations low for the Tories, suggesting they could lose all the councils they are contesting.

The last time this set of councils were up for election was in 2021, when the Conservative Party was led by Boris Johnson who was riding high from the COVID vaccine bounce.

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Counter-terrorism police investigating after two women injured in Leeds

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Counter-terrorism police investigating after two women injured in Leeds

Counter-terrorism police are investigating after an incident involving a crossbow and a firearm left two women injured in Leeds.

Police were called to Otley Road at 2.47pm on Saturday to reports of a “serious incident involving a man seen with weapons”, West Yorkshire Police said.

Officers arrived at the scene to find two women injured – and a 38-year-old man with a self-inflicted injury. All three were taken to hospital, with the man held under arrest, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm,” Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement.

The incident happened on the ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl, with one venue saying it was closed for the evening due to “unforeseen circumstances”.

Officers guard one of the crime scenes in Leeds
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Officers guard one of the crime scenes

Officers inside the cordon in Leeds
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Officers inside the cordon in Leeds

Counter Terrorism Policing’s statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.

“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “serious violent incident” and said she was being kept updated by police.

“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”

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