The wife of Jermaine Jenas said it has been an “incredibly hard and difficult time for myself and my family” after the ex-footballer and broadcaster was sacked by the BBC following complaints about workplace conduct.
Former Premier League star Jenas was removed from the presenting line-ups of Match Of The Day and The One Show in August, however the BBC did not offer details on why his contract was terminated.
He previously apologised to his former female colleagues for sending “inappropriate messages”, but insisted they were “between two consenting adults” and that his behaviour was not illegal.
Jenas has been married to model Ellie Penfold for 13 years.
Ms Penfold, who shares three children with Jenas, appeared at the launch of her personal care brand Preppy on Tuesday without her wedding ring.
She told the Sun newspaper: “It has been an incredibly hard and difficult time for myself and my family.
“My only focus has been on our children and building my brand Preppy.
“Now I just want to move forward.
“Naturally this has been hard for me but my only concern has been our children and that will not change.”
She told the newspaper she did not want to discuss her marriage, but that Jenas was supportive of her decision to create the brand.
“Jermaine is excited for the business and what it holds for me in the future. He has been supportive of me in this respect and as a working mum,” she added.
After apologising to his former female colleagues, Jenas admitted he has a “self-destructive streak” with his relationships and is receiving therapy.
Before his sacking in August, Jenas had been a regular pundit on sports programmes Match Of The Day and Match Of The Day 2 and a presenter on BBC Radio 5 Live.
He had been widely regarded as a natural successor to replace Gary Lineker as host of Match Of The Day, who announced last week that he will step down as host of the football highlights programme at the end of the season.
