Inside Jermaine Jenas’ rollercoaster career from England star to One Show, L’Oreal ambassador and Fifa Best Awards host
JERMAINE Jenas’ glittering career had been on a relentless rise before it all came crashing down.
The 41-year-old was sacked by the BBC on Thursday, following accusations of inappropriate text messages to a female staff member on The One Show.
It means the married ex-footballer has been taken off air from Match of the Day too, as his reputation lies in tatters.
A giant mural, featuring Jenas alongside BBC Sport colleagues Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Alex Scott, has now been removed from Manchester’s Media City HQ.
Last night Jenas spoke to The Sun apologising if he made the women he had messaged feel uncomfortable.
He said: “I did nothing illegal — these were inappropriate messages between two consenting adults.”
Before he got to the top of the media tree, Jenas fulfilled a dream to play for his boyhood club, secure a big money move to a glamour club, and play for England.
As he scored jobs on Match of the Day, hosted The One Show, and bagged a contract with L’Oreal as an ambassador – his star grew.
SunSport takes a look through his expansive CV.
Making a name in the game
Nottingham-born Jenas came through the ranks at Forest.
He made his debut for his boyhood club aged just 17, when they played in the First Division in 2001.
The following season he became a regular in the team’s engine room, which secured him a blockbuster move to Newcastle for the remainder of the 2001-2002 campaign.
A £5million fee made him the second most expensive teenager at the time, behind Robbie Keane.
After his first full season for the Toon, he won the PFA Young Player of the Year Award.
He secured his first England cap in 2003, making his debut against Australia under Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Jenas would add a further 20 caps until 2009, also playing under Fabio Capello,
At club level, he moved to Tottenham for £7million in 2005, where he was said to have earned around £50,000-per-week.
He would play 202 games for Spurs, although in his final years he was loaned out to both Aston Villa and his old club, Forest.
Eventually, Jenas would finish his career at Queens Park Rangers – where he suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament during a training session in 2014.
Admittedly, he never fully recovered and decided to hang up his boots in 2016 for a new chapter.
Media duties
With his boyish charm and straight-talking demeanour, Jenas scored plenty of media work after he left QPR.
ITV Sport hired him first, as he provided analysis on their coverage of the Europa League for the 2014-2015 season.
Then he joined BT Sport, where he regularly featured in the studio alongside other pundits.
But it wasn’t just sports networks that were showing an interest in his work.
He was a contestant on Channel 4’s Time Crashers – a reality TV show where celebrities were given the task of living in different historical eras – in 2015.
By 2017, he moved into the documentary world – presenting Teenage Knife Wars for BBC Three, which focused on his hometown of Nottingham.
He recalled an incident in his youth where he was the victim of a knife-point robbery.
In 2020, Jenas secured his big break with The One Show, alongside Alex Jones.
Within a year, after dazzling TV execs, he became a permanent host – and was touted to be Gary Lineker’s eventual replacement on Match of the Day.
He even popped up, surprisingly, to host the Fifa Best Awards.
Because he’s worth it
Jenas’ bank account has been padded by major endoresements.
He was reportedly paid a six-figure sum for a collaboration with Jacamo, a men’s clothing range that has also been supported by Freddie Flintoff.
Most recently, L’Oreal made Jenas an ambassador for their men’s products.
He joined Jamie Redknapp and Peter Crouch for the skincare expert’s Be a Wingman campaign, which aimed to challenge the stigma of men discussing their mental health.
Again, it was believed Jenas was paid handsomely by the French cosmetics giant.
Harsh comment
Jenas’ latest indiscretion less than a year after he was forced to apologise for comments made towards a Premier League referee.
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He aimed a barb at Robert Jones on X, who was officiating the North London derby between Arsenal and Spurs.
Angered by some of the decision, he wrote: “Complete sh**house off [sic] a referee!” Adding: “They’re all ruining our game!”
24 hours later, Jenas said he was sorry for his comments.
“I hold my hands up, I got it wrong yesterday,” he wrote on social media.
“I should know, more than most, the responsibility we have as fans, players and pundits and the impact our words online can have as it’s an area I’ve been vocal in.
“My emotions got the better of me and I apologise to The FA and to all match officials.”
His alleged misdemeanour this week, however, was too much for the Beeb who immediately dismissed him from his media duties.
He joined talkSPORT to present their drivetime show, however after appearing yesterday when the news broke they have now distanced themselves from the former Premier League star.
They confirmed in a statement: “There are no plans for Jermaine to broadcast as a presenter on talkSPORT in the immediate future.”
TNT Sports, where Jenas hosts their Formula E coverage, have said he won’t be returning this month.