Jenas Finds Love With French Lookalike of Ex-Wife

Just over a year after his marriage ended following a BBC sexting scandal, former Premier League midfielder Jermaine Jenas, 43, has reportedly begun a relationship with a 31-year-old French woman who bears a striking resemblance to his ex-wife. According to The Sun, Jenas has been quietly seeing Anne for six months, attempting to keep their romance out of the public eye.

Jenas split from Ellie Penfold, the mother of three of his four children, after 16 years of marriage. The separation came after he was dismissed from his roles as a Match of the Day pundit and The One Show host by the BBC over “inappropriate texts” sent to female colleagues.

Relationship Details

A source told The Sun that Jenas initially dropped subtle hints on social media, such as posting pictures of Anne’s Chanel handbag during their dates. “But now he’s in Paris so much it is clear it’s serious,” the insider said. “Jermaine is always posting pictures from Paris and says he’s happier than ever. Anne has been to visit him in London too but because his work schedule is less regimented now, he can spend more time in France.” The source added that Jenas is “smitten” with the French woman.

BBC Scandal and Fallout

Jenas was sacked by the BBC in August 2024. Director of Sport Alex Kay-Jelski informed staff via a brief email at 3.39pm on a Thursday, stating simply: “I wanted to let you know that Jermaine Jenas is no longer working for the BBC.” A source described the message as “brutally short and to the point,” adding, “It felt like there was no messing around.” He was let go following complaints about his conduct at work.

Speaking to The Sun, Jenas revealed he was fired during a Zoom call where BBC executives read out his explicit messages. He said he was “ashamed” and had “let everyone down.”

Marriage Breakdown

Ellie Penfold was reportedly left “raging” by the allegations, though Jenas initially hoped to work through their issues. However, in March 2025, Penfold announced on Instagram that their marriage was over. Reflecting on the split, Jenas said: “It was her decision and one that I had to accept.”

“If it was up to me - and I think a lot of men are like this - I’d probably be prepared to be unhappy for the rest of my life if [it meant] I had my kids in it. If I have my kids, I’m quite happy to sacrifice.”

He added: “It’s a man thing. Relationships are what they are - they have highs, they have lows and people cheat – some people do, some people don’t, but you figure a lot of things out. The reality is we both were in a position where we were like ‘are we really happy?’ From her side of things, she’d ran the course more than probably me. But I was much more happy to go ‘I’ll be unhappy if I can stay in this house with you and these kids’. It wasn’t to be for her, so we went our separate ways and that is that.”