Former BBC presenter Jermaine Jenas faced tough questioning on ITV's Good Morning Britain on Friday, June 12, 2026, in his first television interview since his dismissal from the corporation nearly two years ago.
The Interview
The 43-year-old former footballer sat down with presenters Ranvir Singh and Kate Garraway, addressing the scandal that led to his sacking. Jenas was let go by the BBC after claims he sent unsolicited texts to a female staff member on The One Show, which he co-hosted from 2020 to 2024. Later, multiple women came forward about explicit messages he sent to colleagues.
Jenas Speaks Out
During the interview, Jenas said: "I'd reached a point recently where there was a lot of uncertainty in my life, a lot of fear in terms of the direction, in terms of where it was going. It's been a tough two-year period, in particular [for] my family... I got to this point where I was like, 'I feel like I need to start speaking.'"
He acknowledged: "I've lost everything, essentially. My job, my family, everything was kind of taken away from me. And that's not for me to decide the punishment, but that's exactly what happened - it's what I had to face."
Questioning by Ranvir Singh
When Jenas said his priority was protecting his family, Ranvir challenged him: "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 to them?"
Jenas responded: "I've always apologised. I don't think that's something I've never done. I've always apologised to everybody that was involved in it, whether it was the women who I was messaging and who were messaging me... I wasn't given the opportunity to sit in front of anybody and really apologise to anybody, and that's fine. There's a duty of care around the situation."
When pressed on whether he recognised he was wrong, Jenas said: "100 per cent... It was something I shouldn't have been doing, but also, this was a marital thing more than anything, I need to apologise to my wife."
Defending His Position
Ranvir noted: "You're sort of skirting around what you've learned, but you've mentioned about the fact that you [were] in a position of power. And that for some reason, you thought this was consensual, but clearly these women did not want to receive what you were sending them." Jenas interrupted: "I'm not skirting around anything, Ranvir. I'm more than happy to have the conversation, which is why I'm here. I'm not here to be defending myself in any way, shape or form. I know what I did was wrong and accept the punishments, so nobody's skirting around the responsibility of what I did."
When asked to advise other men in power, Jenas replied: "I'm not here to dictate to people... I understand why you have to come up with this line of questioning, and it's completely fine. And if you feel like I've not been punished enough, then go ahead and keep going." Ranvir clarified she was not saying that, but Jenas added: "But you've accused me of skirting around the issue. I'm not skirting around the issue."
Statement from BBC
At the end of the interview, the presenters read a BBC spokesperson's statement: "We do not comment on individuals, but we will always look at any issues raised with us and take the action as appropriate."
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX at 6am.
