The former footballer left his role at the broadcaster, understood to be worth £190,000-a-year, after he was caught up in a high-profile cheating scandal in August 2024
Jermaine Jenas has listed his family home for sale – 18 months after being axed from his £190,000-a-year BBC role for sending inappropriate texts to female staff members.
The former One Show co-host and ex-Match of the Day pundit has put the six-bedroom property, near Barnet, North London, on the market for £4.95million. Pictures of the property posted on an estate agency website show the des-res includes an indoor swimming pool, a sauna and a steam room, as well as a gym, a cinema room and a playroom.
Jenas, 43, his wife Ellie, 37, and their children had lived there together after he bought the property for £2.8million in 2006, but they split up after his cheating scandal was revealed in August 2024. He has since listed his newly set-up company Coldline Ltd at a £3million terraced house in Hampstead, but is not believed to be living at the address.
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At the time of the scandal, Jenas admitted sending suggestive messages to two female colleagues on The One Show and apologised to the women who received them.
Speaking at the time, the dad-of-four admitted Ellie, who he shares three young children with, was “absolutely raging” after finding out about the messages and had immediately kicked him out of the bedroom of the family home. He also confessed to lying to her during a family holiday in Marbella, Spain, when he snuck off to have a Zoom call with BBC bosses about the inappropriate messages.
He said he later came clean to her that he had been fired because she was expecting him to go to work on The One Show on the Monday morning. The married former Tottenham and England footballer insisted he did nothing illegal and the messages were between consenting adults, including one he claimed made clear she was interested.
Recalling the moment he confessed to his wife, he said: “I just said, ‘I’ve been sacked from the BBC’. She said, ‘What for?’ and I said, ‘For sending text messages that weren’t appropriate to two girls’.
At the time, Jenas’ dad Dennis told the Mirror his son was desperate to save his marriage to Ellie, admitting his sacking had left him in a mess emotionally. Speaking from his home in Fort Worth, Texas, he said: “He’s battling to save his marriage. It’s hit the family hard at the end of the day. He knows he shouldn’t have done what he did and he wants to keep his family together and he knows he has hurt his wife and kids.”
Jenas was hit with more claims the following month, including accusations of “repeatedly pestering” a junior make-up artist for sex while working at BT Sport and allegedly bombarding a woman working at the World Cup in Qatar with messages, including one asking her: “You want my boy now?”.
In March last year, Ellie announced their marriage was over. Writing on Instagram, she said: “I never imagined I would have to share something so personal with the public, but given the situation, I feel it’s necessary. After 16 years together and 4 wonderful children, Jermaine and I have decided to part ways. We will remain friends and continue to co-parent. We kindly ask that you respect our children’s privacy during this challenging time. Thank you, Ellie.”
Jenas had long been considered a rising star at the BBC and was touted by Gary Lineker as a future Match of the Day host. Lineker had heralded Jenas as his “natural successor”. However, his fall from grace left him out of the running and he later admitted his TV career had been “wiped out”.
The retired footballer and Ellie got married in 2011 and have two daughters and a young son together. Jenas also has an older teenage daughter Sancha from a previous relationship. She reportedly lives in the United States with her mother.
Speaking in November 2024 while launching her own business Preppy Skin, Ellie admitted the scandal had been “incredibly difficult”. She added her “only focus has been on our children” and she was keen “to move forward” as she began her new venture.
She said: “Naturally this has been hard for me but my only concern has been our children and that will not change. Now I just want to move forward.” She added Jenas had been “supportive” of her decision to create the brand and is “excited” for what it holds for her in the future.
In December last year, Jenas spoke about how the split had hit him hard. Appearing on YouTube channel Golf Life with fellow former footballer Jimmy Bullard and ex-Soccer AM star Peter Dale, known as Tubes, Jenas said: “I think it’s common knowledge, I had a tough probably year… I obviously split up with my wife and stuff.
“As a man you go through things sometimes in life, you need support from friends and so on and so forth… something just hit me.” Jenas said he felt unable to play golf at the time, as he considers it “a luxury”.
He added: “At that particular time my whole world was blowing up. It just didn’t feel right if you know what I mean. It felt like I needed to be you know with my kids and with the family and trying to just sort things out basically.
“I started doing all these things I’d never done before just to try and steady the ship. But um yeah, the clubs are back out. I’m feeling good. I’ll be fine.”
