Jermaine Jenas makes a confession to The Sun and speaks of his shame after being sacked by the BBC for sending inappropriate texts to women.
The former footballer turned TV and radio presenter denied being a sex pest, insisting he had done nothing illegal as his texting scandal left the BBC with no choice but the terminate his contract.
In an exclusive chat with The Sun, he said sorry to the women he had messaged. He is also fighting to save his 13-year marriage to the mother of three of his children.
It is also reported he confessed to lying to wife Ellie during a family holiday, sneaking off to take a Zoom call with BBC bosses over his inappropriate messages.
‼️🚨Jermain Jenas ‘It wasn’t physical but it was cheating,’ says ashamed Jermaine Jenas as he admits sending inappropriate texts to women pic.twitter.com/9LlIvPgkNB
— Football Hub (@FootbalIhub) August 23, 2024
He said, via The Sun: “I am ashamed, and I am deeply sorry.
“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.
“I am sorry for what I have put them through.
“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.
“Before any of this became public, I saw my private doctor and after a long discussion, booked in for therapy to try and address these issues, where they stem from, and why I have been doing this and hurting the people I love.
“I’m not proud of what I wrote and what I said. And I do consider it cheating, yes, although nothing physical ever happened.
“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.
“And I fell below those standards. I must take the responsibility.
“I was given an incredible opportunity and I know it’s on me that right now I feel I have lost everything. I feel like people are judging me and that I am the number one target right now in the country.”
Jenas said he got the sack on Monday, coming five days after the initial HR consultation process began., with the BBC’s Director of Sport Alex Kay-Jelski telling staff members of Jenas’ dismissal when news broke out.
Jenas claims that he thinks this “says everything about the BBC’s handling of it all really”.
His former colleagues, both on and off screen, have been told not to contact him due to the legal situation, while other well-known faces and member of the production team have offered their support.
Jenas says he knows one of the women involved from work, after she gave him her mobile number at a ‘boozy’ work event.
They sexted each other over 24 hours, though he claims it ended amicably.
Jenas insists: “These were two consenting adults I was speaking to. With one she made it clear she was interested. I don’t want to start going down the ‘who pursued who’ road, but when people are saying things that are wrong and false information is being spread, I do have to kind of defend my space.
“In that particular instance, there was an adult conversation that took place in a bar in London where that person made it very clear that they had an attraction to me. Yes there was alcohol involved but I take full responsibility.
“I feel people don’t know the truth and are forming opinions about me that aren’t accurate.
“I wasn’t going through some kind of BBC vault trying to get women’s numbers. I’m obviously going to say I’m not a sex pest.
“These were consenting adults I was texting.”
Jenas also denies sending any sexual pictures or videos.
He said: “That was not the case.”
Upon learning of the accusations made against him, Jenas then deceived his wife Ellie in an attempt to delay the situation and “find a way out of this mess”.
He was sacked five days later via a video call while on a family vacation with Ellie and their three children.
Jenas said: “It was just a grim situation. You’re having to sit there and listen to what you’ve 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. I think I was in shock at the time, there was a lot to process.
“But I’m the married one, I’m at fault, and I was sort of playing this blame game in my head.
“The overriding panic by a mile was that I could lose my family.
“There’s something in me that’s praying there is some level of mercy or understanding of the fact we’re human beings and we all make mistakes, some bigger than others and mine is a big mistake.
“But that didn’t happen, and yeah the whole situation was pretty hellish — and right now I’m not quite sure what I’m feeling, but I don’t think I have ever been lower.”
Jenas admits that he is struggling with his anxiety, while also suffering with insomnia.
Jenas is no longer with his long-standing agents, MC Saatchi, after they broke the news to him about the allegations made against him.
Jenas adds: “Some people have suggested I’m the scapegoat here.
“But I have only myself to blame — I have let everyone around me down and I have disappointed a lot of people. I just want to apologise to everyone I have hurt through my actions. I am sorry.”
Twitter users gave their reaction as Jermaine Jenas makes a confession to The Sun and speaks of his shame after being sacked by the BBC…
@Biggies_MaIIs: Jermaine Jenas there, giving his sob story to the s*n. Just in case there was anyone still out there that didn’t already think he was a cunt.
@WestHamPlace:
Jermaine Jenas 24 hours ago: “I’m not happy, there are two sides to every story”
Jermaine Jenas today: “I admit what I did and I’m sorry”
This shyster is only sorry he got caught, not for what he did.
Get in the bin man.
@CrierToon: Busy 24 hours for him. Last night he was going to consult lawyers because there are two sides to a story then today he apologised and is having therapy. Seems his lawyers turned into PR people. A familiar well trodden route for celebrities who are caught out
@SteveMcKenna_: Yesterday he ‘couldn’t talk about it’. Not out of respect for his wife or the message recipients, but because he’d signed an exclusive 💰 deal with The Sun!
@manwithamission: Testifies to the character of this t!t! Yesterday – I can’t talk about it as it’s with my lawyers. Today – sells his story to the Sun. Unbelievable. #JermaineJenas
@Jarvalho111: He went from calling his lawyers to calling The Sun pretty quick
@answer_me_this8: Just in case anyone doubted whether Jermaine Jenas was a wrong ‘un or not, he removes all doubt by telling his story to the s*n.
Jermaine Jenas soon changed his tune within 24 hours hasn’t he… he’s gone from the big man who’s fuming and it’s with the lawyers to folding like a deck chair.
Hopefully the last we have to hear of him now. pic.twitter.com/QNP9sLKhY6
— Sam Fallah (@sami_fallah) August 23, 2024
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