ITV have axed Jermaine Jenas from this year’s Soccer Aid coverage in the wake of the ex-England midfielder’s sexting scandal.
Insiders have told MailOnline Jenas ‘was not considered’ to feature as part of the punditry team for this Sunday’s televised charity match, despite being a regular in recent years.
ITV bosses took the decision after Jenas, 42, was fired for sending inappropriate messages to female employees during his time at the BBC.
The sexting scandal also cost Jenas his 13-year marriage after his wife Ellie, the mother of three of his four children, announced the pair were divorcing earlier in March.
The insider said: ‘ITV thought long and hard about the decision but believe it’s the right move.
‘Given Soccer Aid has such a charity angle they felt uneasy about bringing unwanted attention onto the match by including Jenas in the coverage so soon after his controversies.
‘They still maintain a good relationship with him but they’re looking to refresh the pundits this year with a mixture of new and returning faces across celebrities, footballers and pundits.’
In previous years, Jenas has worked alongside Love Island Maya Jama as part of the match coverage, with Dermot O’Leary and Alex Scott taking on hosting duties.
Jermaine Jenas alongside Maya Jama pictured hosting Soccer Aid for UNICEF 2022
Jenas, 42, was fired for sending inappropriate messages to female employees during his time at the BBC
ITV has now followed the BBC and Jenas ‘was not considered’ to feature as part of the punditry team for this Sunday’s televised charity match
The presenters have once again been confirmed for this year’s match, between England and The Rest of the World, which will see Wayne Rooney and Tyson Fury co-managing the Three Lions at Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium this Sunday.
Former Manchester United and Denmark goalkeeper Peter Schmeical is managing the Rest of the World X1.
Proceeds go towards UNICEF, which has already received £106million from Soccer Aid since it was created by Robbie Williams in 2006.
Losing his regular Soccer Aid gig comes five months after Mailonline also revealed Jenas was axed as presenter of Formula E.
He previously served as the lead presenter on TNT Sports.
Jenas, who also has a daughter from a previous relationship, was sacked by the BBC in August, which resulted in him losing his hosting gig on The One Show and punditry work on both Match of the Day and 5 Live.
The BBC confirmed their decision while he was on air guest hosting talkSPORT’s drive time show.
His agency MC Saatchi also cut ties with him before he brought in a crisis PR team to handle the aftermath of the scandal.
Joelah Noble, Big Zu and Jermaine Jenas look on during Soccer Aid for Unicef 2023 at Old Trafford
The sexting scandal also cost Jenas his 13-year marriage to his wife Ellie Penfrold, the mother of three of his four children
Jenas lost his hosting gig on The One Show and punditry work on both Match of the Day and 5 Live
Jenas revealed he lied to wife Ellie during a family holiday in order to sneak off and take a Zoom call with BBC bosses after news of his X-rated messages was first revealed within the broadcaster.
And he also told how she had kicked him out of their £1million home in Hertfordshire after he admitted sending inappropriate messages to two female colleagues.
Speaking to the Filthy Rellas podcast last month, Jenas claimed historical problems within the relationship also contributed to the break up.
He said: ‘The reality is, me and my wife haven’t split up because I sent some text messages to some people at work.
‘We had issues for a period of time, it all comes to a head and you eventually make a decision to say, as adults, we will be better parents for our children if we just remain friends and that’s it.
‘We had 16 amazing years together, me and my wife, how many people last that long? Sixteen years. Ups and downs. She caught the wrong end of my [playing] career, bless her.’
During an interview with The Sun shortly after he was sacked by the BBC, Jenas admitted his wife was ‘raging’ over the incident.
He said: ‘We’ve not really spoken properly since. She’s absolutely raging.’
Jenas previously served as the lead presenter on TNT Sports as well as a regular pundit
Pictured hosting the One Show before he was sacked by the BBC
Jenas continued: ‘It’s just about the children right now. It’s the school holidays and they’re trapped in the house because photographers are outside my house.
‘They’re like, ‘What’s going on, Daddy?’. It’s tough.’
He added: ‘I’ve got to take responsibility and I’ve apologised to all of them.
‘I don’t know what to say about that, to be honest with you.
‘It’s just hard at home for the kids right now. My wife’s a real one
‘My wife is solid and she’s amazing. She is kind. She just needs some time.’
During the interview, Jenas insisted Ellie should not fear more women coming out of the woodwork with tales of further inappropriate behaviour.
However, weeks after the scandal broke, Mailonline revealed Jenas bombarded a woman working at the World Cup in Qatar two years ago with unwanted messages asking ‘You want my boy now?’ before sending her a picture of his manhood, despite her making clear she was not interested in his advances.
Jenas bombarded a woman working at the World Cup in Qatar two years ago with unwanted messages asking ‘You want my boy now?’
Jenas pictured working as a pundit on Match of the Day
The following week, we also told how he repeatedly pestered a junior make-up artist for sex – and when she told him she had a boyfriend replied: ‘Just come to my dressing room early and I’ll [perform a sex act] on u… that’s not cheating.’
That incident took place when he was working for BT Sport in 2017, where he was a rising star as a football pundit.
Jenas has managed to find work with TalkSPORT, who triggered his media comeback in February as part of the station’s FA Cup coverage.
But his appointment reportedly sparked serious unrest at the station, as many staff members refused to work with him.
MailOnline revealed other colleagues were left ‘stunned’ by his signing, but talkSPORT still pushed ahead with the move and even gave him a platform to once again express his sorrow for his past behaviour.
He said: ‘The biggest thing in this whole situation is about taking responsibility and that has been at the forefront of my mind.
‘You need to take responsibility for your actions. There’s a reason why you’re in this position, and there’s a reason why this has happened.
‘Once you kind of accept those things, then you can work on yourself and you can work on the other things, and you can work on your family and work towards a brighter future.
Jenas has managed to find work with TalkSPORT, but some staff have refused to work with him
Jenas was a rising star as a football pundit and a television presenter before his sacking
‘I’m very grateful to talkSPORT for giving me the opportunity to come talk to yourself and get back to doing what I love most. This is about me looking inwards, making some improvements and coming back a better person.’
Meantime, Soccer Aid host O’Leary, 52, has revealed he still gets nervous about fronting the showpiece – as he treats the fixture like a ‘proper football match’.
Asked what he enjoys about Soccer Aid, he said: ‘The half-time moments for me, because you have these special moments, it’s a laugh and you’re watching a game of football and you’re seeing goals, and it’s all very exciting.
‘We treat it like a proper football match and then you get those moments, you know, there’s a lot of levity in there, and then you get these proper stop and think moments, whether that’s James Nesbitt or Robbie Williams doing something powerful for UNICEF.
‘Being out here last year, I was more nervous about doing that than I was doing the first opening of the show.
‘Yeah, but those are really very special moments.’
