Jermaine Jenas’ £5m family home put up for sale after BBC sacking | Football | Sport

Jermaine Jenas has placed his family residence on the market – 18 months after losing his £190,000-a-year BBC position for sending inappropriate texts to female colleagues. The former One Show co-presenter and ex-Match of the Day analyst has listed the six-bedroom property, situated near Barnet, North London, for £4.95million.

Images of the home published on an estate agent’s website reveal the luxury residence features an indoor swimming pool, a sauna and a steam room, alongside a gym, a cinema room and a playroom. Jenas, 43, his wife Ellie, 37, and their children had resided there together following his purchase of the property for £2.8million in 2006, but they separated after his texting scandal emerged in August 2024. He has subsequently registered his newly established company Coldline Ltd at a £3million terraced house in Hampstead, though is not thought to be residing at that address.

During the scandal, Jenas acknowledged sending suggestive messages to two female colleagues on The One Show and apologised to the women who received them. Speaking at the time, the father-of-four admitted Ellie, with whom he shares three young children, was “absolutely raging” after discovering the messages and had immediately banished him from the bedroom of the family home.

He also confessed to deceiving her during a family holiday in Marbella, Spain, when he slipped away to conduct a Zoom call with BBC bosses regarding the inappropriate messages. He admitted that he later confessed to her that he had been sacked because she was expecting him to go to work on The One Show on the Monday morning. The married ex-Tottenham and England footballer maintained that he did nothing illegal and the messages were between consenting adults, including one he claimed clearly indicated her interest.

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Recounting the moment he revealed the truth to his wife, he said: “I just said, ‘I’ve been sacked from the BBC’. She said, ‘What for?’ and I said, ‘For sending text messages that weren’t appropriate to two girls’. At the time, Jenas’ father Dennis told the Mirror that his son was desperate to salvage his marriage to Ellie, conceding that his dismissal had left him emotionally distraught. Speaking from his residence in Fort Worth, Texas, he said: “He’s battling to save his marriage. It’s hit the family hard at the end of the day.

“He knows he shouldn’t have done what he did and he wants to keep his family together and he knows he has hurt his wife and kids.” Jenas was hit with more claims the following month, including accusations of “repeatedly pestering” a junior make-up artist for sex while working at BT Sport and allegedly bombarding a woman working at the World Cup in Qatar with messages, including one asking her: “You want my boy now?”

In March last year, Ellie confirmed their marriage had ended. Posting on Instagram, she said: “I never imagined I would have to share something so personal with the public, but given the situation, I feel it’s necessary.

“After 16 years together and 4 wonderful children, Jermaine and I have decided to part ways. We will remain friends and continue to co-parent. We kindly ask that you respect our children’s privacy during this challenging time. Thank you, Ellie.”

Jenas had long been considered a rising star at the BBC and was touted by Gary Lineker as a future Match of the Day host. Lineker had heralded Jenas as his “natural successor”. However, his fall from grace left him out of the running and he later admitted his TV career had been “wiped out”.

The former footballer and Ellie wed in 2011 and share two daughters and a young son together. Jenas also has an older teenage daughter Sancha from a prior relationship. She is understood to reside in the United States with her mother. Speaking in November 2024 whilst launching her own business Preppy Skin, Ellie confessed the controversy had been “incredibly difficult”.

She added her “only focus has been on our children” and she was determined “to move forward” as she embarked on her new venture. She said: “Naturally this has been hard for me but my only concern has been our children and that will not change. Now I just want to move forward.”

She added Jenas had been “supportive” of her decision to create the brand and is “excited” for what it holds for her in the future. Last December, Jenas discussed how the separation had affected him deeply. Speaking on YouTube channel Golf Life with fellow former footballer Jimmy Bullard and ex-Soccer AM presenter Peter Dale, known as Tubes, Jenas said: “I think it’s common knowledge, I had a tough probably year… I obviously split up with my wife and stuff. “As a man, you go through things sometimes in life, you need support from friends and so on and so forth… something just hit me.”

Jenas said he felt unable to play golf at the time, as he considers it “a luxury”. He added: “At that particular time my whole world was blowing up. It just didn’t feel right if you know what I mean.

“It felt like I needed to be you know with my kids and with the family and trying to just sort things out basically. “”I started doing all these things I’d never done before just to try and steady the ship. But yeah, the clubs are back out. I’m feeling good. I’ll be fine.”