BBC staff have reportedly been told not to contact Jermaine Jenas following his axe over “inappropriate behaviour.”
The former footballer, who presented The One Show and regularly appeared on Match of the Day, had his contract terminated by the broadcaster on Thursday (August 22). The Mirror previously revealed the 41-year-old pundit was fired from the flagship channel over claims of unsolicited inappropriate messages involving a female employee of the teatime talk show.
It is understood bosses received a complaint about text messages sent by the presenter last month. This prompted the launch of an internal investigation within the company.
READ MORE: ‘Multiple women come forward’ over Jermaine Jenas’ ‘inappropriate behaviour’
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Staff at the BBC have been left in shock at the new development. Director of Sport Alex Kay-Jelski emailed staff at 3.39pm on Thursday saying simply: “I wanted to let you know that Jermaine Jenas is no longer working for the BBC.”
(Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Now, insiders suggest there’s been a further note to staff about the situation. An insider told The Sun: “Presenters, cast and crew have all been asked not to contact him whilst legal matters are going on.
“As a result, a lot of Chinese whispers have been circulating. Not even top talent like Alex Jones, Alan Shearer or Gary Lineker knew about this. It was shrouded in secrecy. It has shocked and rocked everyone.”
Staff on The One Show had been kept in the dark up until Thursday morning when the rumour mill went into overdrive. One source told the Mirror: “The staff WhatsApps were suddenly abuzz with what was going on.
(Image: BBC)
“There have been whispers that something was afoot but bosses had kept the investigation close to their chest. It’s a very sensitive landscape at the BBC at the moment with the various scandals that have beset it of late.
“Any hint of workplace misconduct and they need to come down on it like a ton of bricks.” Jenas, who shares three children with his wife Ellie Penfold and is dad to another child from a previous relationship, pocketed between £190,000 – £194,000 at the BBC for his work on the FA Cup, Match of the Day and the World Cup.
In May, he was honoured with the Women’s Football Ally of the Year award. At the time, he said: “I have always supported the women’s game. I have three daughters of my own. My mum raised me.”
(Image: talkSPORT)
Jenas also works for TNT Sports, a group of pay television sports channels. They declined to comment when approached by the BBC. Jenas was last seen on The One Show on July 22, 2024, and his final appearance on Match of the Day was just weeks earlier.
In a statement shared by a spokesperson to The Sun, Jenas said: “Right now I can’t talk about it. I can tell you I’m not happy – there are two sides to every story – and I’m going to be speaking with my lawyers on the issue.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
