Jermaine Jenas splits from wife Ellie after BBC sexting scandal
Jermaine Jenas has officially split from his wife of 14 years.
In August of last year, retired footballer Jermaine was fired by the BBC after it was revealed that he had sent inappropriate, sexual messages to two female colleagues at the broadcaster.
Jermaine had been a co-host on The One Show, and had also been a regular contributor as a football pundit on both BBC radio and TV.
At the time, Jermaine and his wife, Ellie Penfold, showed no signs of ending their marriage. They chose to stay together with their three children, as well as Jermaine’s teenage daughter from a previous relationship.
Now, six months on from the scandal, Ellie has confirmed that she has separated from Jermaine.
Last night, Ellie took to her Instagram stories to post a written statement on the matter.
“I never imagined I would have to share something so personal with the public, but given the situation, I feel it's necessary,” she began.
“After 16 years together and 4 wonderful children, Jermaine and | have decided to part ways. We will remain friends and continue to co-parent,” she confirmed.
Ellie added: “We kindly ask that you respect our children's privacy during this challenging time. Thank you.”
Following the reveal of his scandal, Jermaine spoke to The Sun and confessed that Ellie was “absolutely raging” with him. The former Tottenham Hotspur star also shared that he was in an “overriding panic” about losing his family.
“Prior to my marriage, to this day, I’ve made a lot of mistakes. But it’s time to own it. I have been behaving in a certain way that’s just not been acceptable within our marriage,” the 42-year-old detailed.
“Ellie is completely innocent within all of this. All she’s doing is at home, working her heart out, looking after my children. She’s a full-time mum who’s actually starting a business of her own. There’s loads of things that she is doing that is carrying the family. And I’m just adding stress, essentially,” Jermaine noted.
