Jermaine Jenas suffered a ‘car crash’ interview as he broke his silence on cheating claims (Image: ITV)
Good Morning Britain descended into chaos as Jermaine Jenas broke his silence after being sacked as a BBC presenter. The former Match of the Day host had his contract terminated last August for sending inappropriate messages to female colleagues. Since then, the presenter has stepped out of the spotlight to focus on repairing his relationship with his wife, Ellie.
Now, the axed One Show host has made his first TV appearance since he was fired last summer to address the scandal and its implications for his future. On Friday (June 12), Kate Garraway and Ranvir Singh welcomed him onto the signature blue sofa, where they grilled him about his fall from grace last summer.
It didn’t take long before Ranvir skewered the axed broadcaster for not mentioning the women he messaged in his on-air apology. She began: “I notice you don’t mention the women who you were texting and who accused you of sending unsolicited, perhaps even videos or text messages that they did not want and did not expect from you. Do you have an apology for them?”
He quickly responded: “I’ve always apologised. I don’t think that’s something I’ve not done. I’ve always apologised to everybody who was involved.” She pressed: “Do you recognise that you were in the wrong in that way?” The former BBC star insisted: “In the way that I was in a position of power in my role in my job, it was something that I shouldn’t have been doing.
“But also, this was a marital thing and more than anything, I need to apologise to my wife over everything. I’m not here begging for a job; I’m not here because I want to be back in television. That’s not where I’m at.”
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He went on to argue that he has been “heavily punished” for sending inappropriate messages to female colleagues and snapped at Singh for her “line of questioning”. Jenas went on: I think the mistakes that I made have been heavily criticised, heavily publicised, and I have been heavily punished.
“I understand why you have come in with this line of questioning, and that’s completely fine. If you feel like I’ve not been punished enough, then go ahead.” She replied with: “I’m not saying that, I just find it interesting because you’re skirting around things. For example, you say that’s been taken away, but people might say you put yourself in that position, you risked it all by doing what you did.”
Jermaine Jenas argued that he’s been “heavily punished” for his cheating scandal (Image: ITV)
He agreed: “Granted, I put myself in that position, but the learning from it doesn’t always have to be negative. I think in this industry, we’re so obsessed with saying, ‘He’s been cancelled’. It’s like, hand on a minute. I’m a person who’s learned a lot from my mistakes.
“I’m a person who’s had a brilliant career and really enjoyed my time on television, but there is a lot for me to give back. I’m not saying on television, it could be on a different platform where I know a lot of people feel how I feel. I’m a human being; we make mistakes. You two can’t sit in front of me and tell me you’ve never made a mistake in your life.”
Viewers soon flocked to X – formerly known as Twitter – to share their thoughts on the tense live interview, with many branding it a “car crash”. One user asked: “Why has Jermaine done this interview? Absolute car crash. No responsibility still and sounds like a right k**b. [cry-laughing emoji].”
Another agreed: “This is a car crash interview. He’s so arrogant, saying he shouldn’t have been punished heavily and got very defensive. Hasn’t apologised or accepted what’s been taken away but questions if he should be given another chance.”
A third echoed: “Jermaine Jenas interview on #gmb… is one long cringe. He came across a bit arsey,” as a fourth agreed: “Don’t think that interview went as well as Jermain hoped, not sure what he was hoping to achieve. He probably wishes he’d stayed in bed now.”
