Jermaine Jenas calls out Kate Garraway for her ‘unfair questions’ in car-crash ‘comeback’ interview about his sexting scandal that led to his BBC sacking and divorce from his wife

Jermaine Jenas clashed with Good Morning Britain hosts Kate Garraway and Ranvir Singh today during a tense interview about the sexting scandal.

The former footballer was removed from the BBC presenting team on Match Of The Day and The One Show after sending explicit SMS messages to female colleagues.

The former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder was a regular pundit on sports programs and a presenter on BBC Radio 5 Live before he was sacked in August 2024.

This morning Jenas joined Garraway and Singh for a chat, following a few Instagram posts in which he appeared to attempt a soft reboot of his career.

The 43-year-old actor was combative with the presenters during the ITV show, and his reactions and body language were defensive – although he claimed otherwise.

In the interview, Garraway asked Jenas what he had ‘learned’. Jenas gave the following answer: ‘It would be an exaggeration to say that I am happy in the industry I am in. As for what I learned, it’s very specific.

‘It’s probably a bit of an unfair question to find out this one thing. ‘You go through life, you make mistakes and things happen outside of work that affect my behavior.’

Singh later accused him of ‘circumventing what he has learned’, but Jenas responded: ‘I’m not skipping anything, Ranvir.

Jenas was defensive and combative towards hosts Ranvir Singh and Kate Garraway

‘I’m very happy to chat, that’s why I’m here. I’m not here to defend myself in any way.

‘I know what I did was wrong and I accept these penalties. No one escapes responsibility for what I did. I know what I did and I know what I did was wrong. So I don’t understand where this line of questioning comes from.’

Singh then asked him to give advice to ‘other men in positions of power in any industry who think they are only flirting with women at work. Who…what’s your advice to other people who can learn from your mistakes?’

Jenas replied: ‘I guess they can look at what happened to me and make their own assumptions about what to do with their own lives.

‘I’m not here to preach to other people about what they should do with their lives. I’m here to tell people about what I’ve been through, what I’ve done, and the impact it’s had on everyone in my life.

‘I’m not here to dictate to people what they want to do. ‘

Singh said he ‘didn’t say that’ and added that Jenas was talking about ‘what was taken from me’ but ‘people might say you put yourself in that situation, that you risked everything by doing what you did’.

Jenas replied: ‘Oh, 100 percent. I got myself into this situation and I’m not sitting here begging and begging to get my job back.

‘I fully accept what was taken from me. I put myself in this position and this is where the learning comes and now this is where I have to look forward to what happens next. The article comes from there.

‘It is impossible for you not to learn something about yourself when you find yourself in the same situation that I found myself in. You have to assess the situation, look around you, look at your own behavior and realize that some things need to change.

Jenas recently shared how he’s ‘building’ his life two years after being sacked by the BBC

‘I did this for a very difficult time; Of course I got myself into this situation.’

Throughout his ten-minute interview, Jenas changed the subject by asking for forgiveness because everyone ‘makes mistakes’.

The 43-year-old man learned of his dismissal from the BBC while broadcasting live on the radio.

He added: ‘The learning from this doesn’t always have to be negative. We’re so obsessed in this industry with the idea of ​​’oh, it got cancelled’ that everything has to be negative.

‘Wait a minute, I’m a person who has learned a lot from my mistakes, has spent 10-12 years in this industry, has a great career and really enjoys my time on television. I have so much to give back.

‘I’m not saying it on TV, it might be on a different platform where I know a lot of people feel the same way I do.

‘I am a human being. We are making mistakes. you two [Singh and Garraway] You can’t sit in front of me and tell me you’ve never made a mistake in your life. We all make mistakes, we all live in the public eye.

‘Every mistake I made was made public and as a man I had to face it. That’s exactly what I did. Now it’s about moving forward and what I’m about to do next. I’m not sure right now.

Jenas and ex-wife Ellie Penfold at Wimbledon in July 2024

After the breakup, Jenas found love again with his girlfriend, Parisian real estate agent Anne Leplaideur.

The ax he received from the BBC following allegations of misconduct led to Jenas losing his marriage to Ellie Penfold.

Although Jenas remained in a relationship with Parisian real estate agent Anne Leplaideur and became involved with her, he thanked his former partner for how he handled the situation.

She said: ‘For my children it was good but it was also up and down. It was a very, very difficult spell. I have an 18 year old and a 13 year old who are very aware of social media and everything that is going on.

‘As a father, it’s very difficult to have very open and honest conversations with them. At the same time, you’re trying to protect nine-year-olds and four-year-olds.

‘Ellie has been incredible throughout the whole process, maintaining consistency in their lives. I will always be grateful to him for that.’

The former football player and his wife, a model, had been married for more than 13 years.

Jenas was previously seen as a natural successor to Match Of The Day presenter Gary Lineker, who quit hosting the football highlights show at the end of last season.

After being fired from the BBC, Jenas apologized, saying he had done ‘nothing illegal’ and that the ‘inappropriate messages’ sent were ‘between two consenting adults’.

Jenas returned to broadcasting on TalkSport radio in February after radio moved away from him following his departure from the BBC.

A BBC spokesman said: ‘We do not comment on individuals, but we will always review issues brought to our attention and take action as appropriate.’