‘It takes some balls to do that’: What Jermaine Jenas was really like behind the scenes at Match of The Day and why his wife is only standing by him ‘for now’, revealed by KATIE HIND

When bosses at talkSPORT received a call ten days ago from BBC star Jermaine Jenas’ agent, offering his services as a presenter on their station, they couldn’t believe their luck.

After all, Jenas was raised by the Corporation as a possible replacement for Gary Lineker, should he retire from Match of the Day in the near future.

They were so excited at the prospect of one of the most popular shows on TV being broadcast that no time was wasted. Behind the scenes, schedules were being worked on to find a suitable spot for the former England footballer turned presenter.

But either way, the timing of the presenter’s first broadcast was… unfortunate.

Late on Thursday afternoon, minutes before he was due to appear on air – alongside former England team-mate Jermaine Pennant – the presenter learned (via another news outlet in the News UK stable) of a rumour that Jenas had been sacked from his £190,000-a-year job at the BBC for sending unsolicited text messages to junior staff.

‘Buffoons at the network only heard rumours of a problem at the BBC half an hour before he was broadcast,’ an insider told talkSPORT.

Rather than hanging his head in shame or asking the broadcaster for an explanation, Jenas seemed determined to ride out the storm and go on the air as planned.

“Jermaine didn’t say a word, he clearly thought he could keep it a secret,” a source said. “It takes guts to do that. He really seemed to think he could somehow style this — that if he just kept his head down and carried on, it would go away.”

And so it was that shortly after he started broadcasting at 4pm, the Mail revealed that the rumours were true and that Jenas had indeed been sacked by the BBC, where he presented The One Show.

In scenes worthy of a TV drama in their own right, the 41-year-old Jenas called upon the same determination that had propelled him to the top of his sport – as a midfielder for Newcastle, Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest – and delivered a bravura performance of patience, composure and skill.

As the screen of his mobile phone lit up and vibrated wildly in front of him – no doubt as friends, family and journalists tried to contact him – Jenas tried to give the impression of a controlled presenter.

It was to no avail.

As one source told me, “He looked like he was going to throw up.”

“Jermaine’s phone barely stopped vibrating,” the source added. “It was relentless, he was trying to stay calm as it vibrated on the desk in front of him. He kept talking and despite the distractions he sounded incredibly professional. God only knows how he kept going without completely losing control, but you could see in his eyes that he was concerned. But if the star was truly upset, he has yet to show it.”

He then gave a short interview to the talkSPORT newsreader, but refused to give details of his dismissal.

He said, ‘Look, I can’t really talk about it. I, as you can probably tell, am not happy about it.

‘But as things stand now, I’ll have to leave it to the lawyers.

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

TalkSPORT has confirmed he will not appear on the show for the “immediate future” and has been dumped by his agent at London-based firm M&C Saatchi, whose boss Richard Thompson has been praised in the television industry for transforming him from sportsman to presenter.

It was a significant fall from grace for Jenas, the married father of three who was born in Nottingham and grew up in council housing, beat many of his footballing mates and eventually became a television presenter.

His metamorphosis began in 2014 at BT Sport, where he started out as a football analyst. He showed early promise and was promoted to presenter of Match of the Day spin-off MOTDx, but what made him a household name was his role as presenter of Auntie’s flagship evening programme, The One Show.

After impressing bosses with a few guest appearances, he landed the role of co-host on The Wholesome Show in 2021.

He was a kind, caring and relaxed man, and a perfect fit for a programme that is seen in millions of homes every night. He also kept his sporting experience up to date by working as a reporter at the European Championships in June.

He seemed such a good fit for the BBC that it’s no surprise he set his sights on the career of another English footballer who took to broadcasting like a fish in water: Gary Lineker.

Even Lineker himself was so confident that Jenas would be the perfect successor that he joked that he was already keeping his seat warm for the younger man.

But out of sight of the cameras, the transition from the football field to the TV bench was not as smooth as it seemed.

Earlier this month, a female staff member at The One Show complained that Jenas had been sending her explicit text messages and images that she did not want.

And within hours of the Corporation announcing on Thursday that he was no longer part of their presenter roster, other women reportedly came forward to share their experiences with him.

As one BBC employee put it: ‘It turned out his female colleagues weren’t as fond of him as he was of them.’

In fact, an insider said he thinks he sees himself as “a bit of a womanizer,” despite being married to former model Ellie Penfold for 13 years. For now, she’s said to be supportive, but those who know him are quick to point out that could change.

He confessed to Ellie, who describes herself on her Instagram feed as a “mother” and “wife” and has modeled for model Katie Price’s clothing line.

The couple have three children together – two daughters, Geneva and Olivia, plus baby son Jacob – and live together in a six-bedroom mock Tudor mansion on the border of north London and Hertfordshire, which the star bought for £2.8million in 2006. It features a gym and indoor swimming pool. He also has another daughter Sancha, 16, from a previous relationship who lives with her mother in America.

Despite having a family, he was seen by many as a valuable player, and his appearances on primetime television increased the fame he had achieved on the field.

As one BBC reporter noted: ‘Maybe it’s his football background, but he’s used to getting a bit of attention. He’s a handsome man at the height of his powers, he’s rich, successful, famous – if a woman shows a little interest he’s not shy about flirting back. He thinks he’s a real charmer.’

In fact, in an interview 16 months ago, Jenas revealed that he and Ellie had fallen out over the amount of socialising that came with his One Show role. He also admitted that the pair were working through their differences and that they enjoyed separate holidays. In the short term, Jenas’ One Show presenting duties seem likely to be taken over by another co-host, Roman Kemp. But the fallout for the BBC will be long-lasting. Coming soon after the Huw Edwards scandal – when the broadcaster failed to disclose that their highest-paid newsreader and former News at Ten anchor had been arrested on child pornography charges when they found out about it in November last year – this latest sacking is an embarrassment for the Beeb.

Moreover, it seems that Jenas does not intend to leave quietly, but rather to fight.

In fact, he feels he is being made the scapegoat for the BBC’s failures with Edwards and the scandal that still surrounds Strictly Come Dancing, when the organisation sacked one of its professional dancers, Graziano Di Prima, for kicking his partner Zara McDermott during rehearsals.

Jenas believes he has done nothing wrong. In fact, he claims he has been “wronged” and has vowed to clear his name.

He has hired lawyers who want to take action against the BBC.

A friend of Jenas tells me: ‘He keeps saying it’s not fair, he doesn’t accept the situation and he will fight to clear his name. ‘He firmly believes that things would have been different if the BBC hadn’t just been hit by a major scandal, but he also insists he hasn’t done much wrong.

‘He maintains that there are two sides to the story but that his lawyers have advised him not to tell anyone any details so that they can prepare a case and send it to the BBC.’

Meanwhile, the BBC is sticking to its guns, with Director General Tim Davie “deeply unhappy” with the former footballer and other chiefs said to be “disgusted and disappointed” by his behaviour.

They are ‘absolutely certain’ that they were right to fire him. After extensive consultation with their own employment lawyers, they felt they could safely fire him based on the evidence they saw.

“Good luck to Jermaine and his legal team,” they said.

“If he wants a payout, he’s going to have to deal with some very tough lawyers. As for the top brass at the BBC, they’ve given him some great opportunities and he’s only got themselves to blame.”