Jermaine Jenas has been dropped as the lead presenter for Formula E in the UK – just months after the BBC sacked him for sending inappropriate messages to female colleagues.
Jenas, 41, presented coverage of Formula E for TNT Sports last season but has not been retained as the presenting line-up for season 11 was announced on Friday. Nicki Shields, previously a pit-lane reporter, will replace Jenas as the coverage moves to ITV.
Jenas was not mentioned at all in a Formula E press release announcing their new presenting line-up.
Former Premier League footballer and England international Jenas was sacked by the BBC in August after a female colleague raised concerns about his conduct. He had roles as a presenter of The One Show and a pundit on Match of the Day.
He has not appeared on British television since, though he was a pundit last month for Malaysia-based broadcaster Astro for Arsenal’s Premier League clash against Liverpool.
After initially apologising for his actions when they emerged in August, saying he was “ashamed” and “deeply sorry”, Jenas then directly addressed the women, saying he “always thought it was consensual and a two-way thing”.
Jenas, who has strongly denied any criminality, gave the apology throughThe Sun on Sunday in August after apparently being told not to contact the two women through HR due to “legal process”.
“When it was all unfolding and I knew I was losing my job, I asked HR if I could contact the two women directly and apologise to both of them,” he said.
“But because of the legal process, I wasn’t allowed. I didn’t get the opportunity to say sorry to them at that particular point when I really wanted to apologise.
“I really want to apologise from the bottom of my heart in terms of what I’ve put them through.”
Addressing the women directly, he said: “I’m genuinely sorry for what I’ve done to you. I always thought it was consensual and a two-way thing.”
Jenas, who has been married to model Ellie Penfold for 13 years and has four children, said he has a “self-destructive streak” with his relationships and that he is receiving therapy.
“I’m not proud of what I wrote and what I said. And I do consider it cheating, yes, although nothing physical ever happened,” he said.
“This is all on me and I fully accept there is a level of responsibility that needs to be upheld when you’re a member of the BBC. And I fell below those standards. I must take the responsibility.”
According to official figures published last year, he earned between £190,000 to £194,999 for his work on the FA Cup, Match Of The Day and the World Cup at the BBC. He likely would be in the running to replace Gary Lineker as the lead presenter of Match of the Day when he steps down at the end of the season.
His salary for working on The One Show was not in the public domain, as it is produced by BBC Studios.
