Alex Jones has opened up about the sexting scandal, which saw her former co-host of The One Show Jermaine Jenas fired from the BBC last year.
The One Show star Alex Jones has said she was “the last to know” about Jermaine Jenas’ sexting scandal, which saw him sacked by the BBC. The TV presenter and football pundit, 42, was axed in August last year over claims he had sent inappropriate texts to female colleagues. He was removed from his role as a presenter of The One Show and a pundit for BBC Sport after an internal investigation was launched.
Jenas’ BBC contract was terminated and he also parted ways with his long-term agents MC Saatchi in addition to being let go from his role presenting Formula E. Now Alex, 48, has spoken about the scandal while appearing on Jamie Laing’s Great Company podcast.
The TV star, who remained close to Jenas until his abrupt departure from the show last year, said: “JJ and I had become close friends. The last one to know was me. The BBC handled it, and I believe they must handle it if viewers feel uncomfortable.
READ MORE: Six bombshells from Jermaine Jenas sext scandal as guilt leaves star ‘like a zombie’
I would pray to God that I had given my daughter the tools to speak up if she was at work in any industry and felt uncomfortable. She continued, “I would hope that the company, corporation, whoever, would deal with it if she was brave enough to speak up because it is a brave thing to do.”
Have you ever had uncomfortable experiences, journalists are asked? If you go back to the 1990s or the early 2000s, you’ll find some stuff and some terrible things said. But nothing has kept me moving or made me shiver. And I was the same age as the girl I was, so I had no idea how to react.
Alex said she has “a lot of respect” for the women who spoke out, which she described as “an incredibly brave thing to do.” In addition to the professional repercussions, the scandal also led to the breakdown of Jenas’ marriage. In March, Jenas’ Ellie Penfold announced her split from him. Ellie, who shares four children with the presenter, took so social media to confirm the end of their 16-year relationship.
Given the circumstances, she said, “I never imagined I would have to tell the public something so intimate,” but she said it was necessary. Jermaine and I have decided to end our relationship after 16 years of marriage and raising four wonderful kids.
We’ll continue to be friends and co-parent. In this challenging time, we ask that you respect our children’s privacy. Ellie, I appreciate it. Jenas claimed that he was ashamed of himself after the allegations were made and that his wife was angry and refused to speak to him.
The axed host has stressed he has done nothing illegal and said he was sorry if he made any of the women he had messaged feel uncomfortable. Jenas spoke of his shame after his world collapsed following the corporation’s confirmation and an “excruciating” meeting with HR and execs. The former One Show star denied sending any explicit pictures or videos.
