Jermaine Jenas has admitted to sending “inappropriate messages” to women after he was sacked by the BBC.
The former footballer 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.
In an interview with The Sun on Friday, Jenas insisted “nothing physical ever happened” but confessed to “cheating” on his wife.
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.”
Image: File Pic: PA
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.”
Image: Jenas (left), with Alex Jones and Roman Kemp when he was a One Show presenter. Pic: PA/BBC
Jenas told The Sun he was sacked by the BBC on Monday, five days after the initial HR consultation process into his behaviour began. He also said he lied to his wife Ellie as he tried to “find a way out of this mess”.
He continued to stress he was unhappy with how the broadcaster handled his dismissal and claimed he was fired over a video call while on a family holiday with 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.”
He added however that “I have only myself to blame,” and said: “I’m the married one, I’m at fault, and I was sort of playing this blame game in my head.”
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Jenas ‘not happy’ after BBC sacking
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.
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.
Oasis have said they are “shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic death of a fan” at their Wembley Stadium concert on Saturday.
Together with their bandmates, Liam and Noel Gallagher have offered their “sincere condolences to the family and friends of the person involved”.
Metropolitan Police said officers on duty at the stadium responded, alongside venue medics and the London Ambulance Service, to reports a person had been injured at around 10.20pm.
The statement continued: “A man – aged in his 40s – was found with injuries consistent with a fall. He was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.”
According to media reports, the man fell from the stadium’s upper tier.
A concertgoer on social media said they saw the incident and described it as “horrific”.
Image: Liam and Noel Gallagher on stage at their first reunion gig. Pic: AP
Metropolitan Police said: “The stadium was busy, and we believe it is likely a number of people witnessed the incident, or may knowingly or unknowingly have caught it on mobile phone video footage.
“If you have any information that could help us to confirm what happened, please call 101.”
Oasis performed at the venue as planned on Sunday night, delivering the final concert of a five-night run at Wembley.
Addressing fans at the stadium, singer Liam said: “This one’s for all the people who can’t be here tonight, but who are here if you know what I mean, and aren’t they looking lovely. Live Forever.”
Oasis support act Richard Ashcroft paid tribute on Instagram, writing: “I was shocked to hear of the death of one of the audience last night sending my love to the family and friends.”
A spokesperson for Wembley Stadium said: “Our thoughts go out to his family, who have been informed and are being supported by specially trained police officers.”
They will then head to Scotland, Ireland, Canada and the United States, before returning to Wembley for two more dates in September.
The reunion tour began at the start of July and marks the Gallagher brothers’ first performances together since Oasis split acrimoniously in 2009.
Soulja Boy has been arrested and charged with possession of a firearm during a traffic stop.
The rapper, whose real name is DeAndre Cortez Way, was a passenger in the car that was stopped in the Fairfax area of Los Angeles early on Sunday morning, the LAPD said.
“A passenger was detained and police arrested DeAndre Cortez Way for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm,” the statement added.
Possessing a firearm as a convicted felon is a felony.
The 35-year-old was booked into jail in the LAPD’s Wilshire Division shortly after 6am. It is not clear if he has since been released.
Police did not provide information on what prompted the traffic stop and who else was in the vehicle with Way.
Soulja Boy is yet to publicly comment on the incident.
Soulja Boy is best known for his 2007 hit Crank That, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks and landed him a nomination for best rap song at the Grammys.
The rapper was arrested and charged with a felony in 2014 for carrying a loaded gun during a traffic stop in LA.
In April this year, the Chicago hip-hop artist was ordered to pay more than $4m (£3m) in damages to his former assistant after being found liable for sexually assault, as well as physically and emotionally abusing them.
The BBC has responded after it was reported that two Strictly Come Dancing stars have been accused of taking cocaine.
The broadcaster is said to have hired an external law firm to probe the drug-taking allegations, which a source said were “well-known” on the show, The Sun on Sunday reports.
The claims were reportedly made on behalf of celebrity contestant Wynne Evans in a legal submission to the BBC in March.
In response, a BBC spokesperson told Sky News: “We have clear protocols and policies in place for dealing with any serious complaint raised with us. We would always encourage people to speak to us if they have concerns.
“It would not be appropriate for us to comment further.”
Sky News understands that it is not unusual for the BBC to engage an external individual to provide additional expert resource to help deliver a BBC-led investigation. In these cases, they would report to an established BBC team.
Image: PA file pic
The allegations published in The Sun on Sunday include a source saying that one Strictly star had told another about a third celebrity on the show: “Have you seen their pupils… they’re off their face.”
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“The BBC have known about these allegations for some time, and acknowledged receiving them. Now they are taking firm action,” the source reportedly said.
The two individuals accused of drug taking have not been named.
It is the latest crisis to hit the BBC and Strictly.
In July last year, Amanda Abbington accused Strictly dancer Giovanni Pernice of “abusive or threatening behaviour”. The actress, who was paired with Pernice, withdrew from the show in 2023.
In January this year, Welsh opera singer Wynne Evans made “inappropriate and unacceptable” comments at the Strictly Come Dancing live tour launch, for which he later apologised.