Jermaine Jenas found himself at the centre of another uncomfortable exchange as his attempted career comeback took a dramatic turn during a tense appearance on Good Morning Britain.
The former footballer and television presenter clashed with hosts Kate Garraway and Ranvir Singh while discussing the sexting scandal that led to his BBC dismissal and ultimately contributed to the collapse of his marriage to wife Ellie Penfold.
Jenas, 43, lost his roles on Match Of The Day, The One Show and BBC Radio 5 Live after it emerged that he had sent inappropriate messages to female colleagues.
Appearing on ITV following a series of social media posts hinting at a fresh chapter in his career, Jenas was repeatedly pressed about what lessons he had learned from the scandal.
When Garraway asked what the experience had taught him, the former Tottenham midfielder pushed back, saying: “To say I was happy in the industry I was in is an overstatement. When it comes to what I’ve learnt, it’s a very specific thing to put my finger on.”
He continued: “It’s probably a little bit of an unfair question to find that one thing. You go through life, you make mistakes and there were things happening on the outside of work also affecting my behaviour.”
However, Ranvir Singh challenged him, accusing him of avoiding the issue.
“I’m not skirting around anything, Ranvir,” Jenas insisted.
“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.”
He added: “I know what I did was wrong and I accept those punishments. Nobody is skirting around the responsibility of what I did. I know what I did and I know what I did was wrong.”
The interview became increasingly uncomfortable when Singh asked what advice he would offer to men in positions of power who might think they are simply flirting with colleagues.
But Jenas refused to position himself as a role model.
“I think they can look at what happened to me and make their own assumptions about what they have to do with their own lives,” he said.
“I’m not here to preach to other people about what they should do with their lives. I’m here to explain to people my own experiences of what I’ve been through and what I’ve done and the impact that it’s had on everybody in my life.”
At one point, the former England international appeared frustrated by the line of questioning and remarked: “If you feel like I have not been punished enough then go ahead and keep going.”
While Singh clarified that she was not suggesting that, Jenas acknowledged that he had only himself to blame.
“Oh, 100 per cent. I did put myself in that position and I’m not sat here begging and pleading for my job back,” he admitted.
“I’m fully accepting of what has been taken away from me. I put myself in that position and that’s where the learning comes from.”
The former pundit also insisted that personal growth should not always be viewed negatively.
“We are so obsessed in this industry with ‘oh, he’s been cancelled’ – everything has to be negative,” he said.
“Hang on a minute, I’m a person who has learnt a lot from my mistakes.”
Reflecting on the public fallout, Jenas stressed that everyone makes mistakes.
“I’m a human being. We make mistakes,” he said.
“Every mistake I made was made public and I had to handle that as a man. That’s exactly what I did. The thing now is about moving forward and what I’m about to do next.”
Away from television, Jenas revealed that the scandal has had a major impact on his family life, particularly his children.
“It’s been a very, very tricky spell,” he admitted.
“Having some very open and honest conversations with them as a father is very difficult. At the same time, you’re then trying to protect the nine and four-year-olds.”
Despite their separation, he praised ex-wife Ellie Penfold for keeping stability in the family.
“Ellie has been incredible in the whole process, maintaining a consistency in their lives. I’ll always be grateful to her for that,” he said.
Jenas and Ellie were married for more than 13 years before their relationship broke down in the wake of the scandal.
The former BBC star has since found love again with Paris-based estate agent Anne Leplaideur and returned to broadcasting earlier this year with TalkSport.
But his latest television appearance has sparked fresh debate, with viewers divided over whether the former presenter had truly answered the difficult questions put to him.
