Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker has announced he is stepping down from his role after 26 years with the broadcaster after posting a pro-Palestine post on his Instagram profile last week
BBC presenter Gary Lineker is stepping down from his role on Match of the Day as he “recognises the error and upset” caused by a pro-Palestine post he shared on his Instagram stories last week.
The presenter, 64, is one of the most recognisable faces on television thanks to his hugely successful football career. But Lineker often chooses to keep his personal life away from the spotlight.
The ex-England goalscorer has been married twice and shares four sons with his first wife, Michelle Cockayne. The couple tied the knot back in 1986 and separated 20 years later after Michelle filed for divorce, citing “unreasonable behaviour” and saying he caused her “stress and anxiety” during their relationship.
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In 2007, the star began dating Danielle Bux, who was 20 years his junior, and they later married in Italy. But their marriage only lasted six years before the pair announced they were splitting in early 2016, reportedly due to their differing opinions on starting a family.
In 2019, Gary explained: “Danielle and I are best mates, we still speak three times a day, we text all the time. When she comes to London she stays with me, and when I go to LA I see her.”
The Leicester icon has since been single and has candidly opened up about his dating life. Back in 2021, he claimed to be unbothered about intimacy anymore, conceding he was at an age where his testosterone levels had dropped.
More recently, he has insisted he doesn’t miss being married and is content that his working life and sons occupy the bulk of his time.
In an interview with The Times, Gary said: “I like being on my own… I don’t feel lonely. I have the odd date here and there, but nothing, not in terms of a long relationship. I’ve been married most of my adult life. Two really good marriages, I’m friends with both.”
The pundit described his second wife Danielle as his “best mate” and refused to comment on his sex life, explaining he got “slaughtered by his friends” last time
.
Gary also denied ever using dating apps and refused to let his sons set up an online profile for him.
Initially denying that he had any crushes on celebrities, he added: “I’m not giving you any names, though, because that always ends up embarrassing.”
After Gary and Danielle split, she married Nate Greenwald, an American entertainment lawyer, in 2019, and the couple welcomed their now-four-year-old daughter, Romy.
The exes still come together with their families. Last Christmas, Danielle posted a photo with Gary alongside her eldest daughter, Ella, whom she shares with former partner Adam Willis.
She captioned the photo “Our annual Christmas dinner“, and Gary shared the picture with the comment, “Always a delight”.
The sports presenter previously explained how he continues to keep in touch with his ex and Danielle’s current husband never gets ‘jealous’ of their relationship.
“He’s not got a jealous bone in his body,” Gary said to the Radio Times.
“We get on really well. We go out for dinner when I’m in LA. It might be unusual and people might go, ‘That’s weird‘, but frankly, I don’t care. What is normal? Is it better to get divorced and end up fighting, screaming and shouting? Or is it better to get on if you can?”
Lineker announced today that he is stepping down from his role at the BBC after facing backlash online for his pro-Palestine post that some deemed “anti-Semitic”.
He wrote: “I care deeply about the work I’ve done with the BBC over many years. As I’ve said, I would never consciously repost anything antisemitic – it goes against everything I stand for.
“However, I recognise the error and upset that I caused, and reiterate how sorry I am. Stepping back now feels like the responsible course of action.”
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