ermaine Jenas and Ellie Penfold have been together for 16 years (Image: GETTY)
In the wake of the scandal engulfing , insiders close to his wife have shed light on the real motivations behind their marital rift.
Just a few days back, Ellie, wedded to the former host and footballer, age 42, took to social media with a shock revelation. In her succinct post, she announced their separation, assuring fans they would remain united in raising their three children: Geneva, aged 11, Olivia, aged 8, and 2 year old Jacob.
On her social media, the mother of three declared: “I never imagined I would have to share something so personal with the public, but given the situation, I feel it’s necessary. After 16 years together and four wonderful children, Jermaine and I have decided to part ways. We will remain friends and continue to co-parent.”
Now, those close to the pair have disclosed the true cause of Jermaine and Ellie’s distressing split.
According to reports, Ellie was reluctant to end things, not wishing to compound the public furore already surrounding Jermaine. But after some time to ponder their joint prospects, and as the tumult around the scandal cooled, she came to the conclusion that their union was beyond repair.
The ex-BBC presenter was axed from the corporation in August (Image: PA)
A source told The Daily Mail: “It’s not something you can just brush off and move on from. It felt like a lack of loyalty and respect, two things she believes are vital to a marriage.
“But after thinking long and hard about their future and allowing the furore surrounding his scandal to die down, it seems she knew their relationship wouldn’t be able to survive and felt Jermaine is now in a better place to deal with the separation.
They added: “It’s very much Ellie who pushed to end the marriage.”
Jermaine has not yet publicly responded to his estranged wife’s statement. Their split follows his departure from the in August amid allegations of sending inappropriate texts to female colleagues.
Don’t miss… [PICTURES] [TRIBUTES]
Ellie Jenas shared a statement on Instagram (Image: Ellie Jenas/Instagram)
Before his exit in August, the star had roles as a co-host on The One Show and as a regular pundit on sports programmes, as well as hosting on Radio 5 Live. He was even tipped as a potential successor for , who last year announced he would be stepping down as host of Match of the Day at the end of the current season in May.
Following his dismissal from the , Jenas issued an apology, stating he hadn’t done “anything illegal” and that the “inappropriate messages” were “between two consenting adults.”
Jenas returned to broadcasting last month on TalkSport radio.
“The last six, seven months have been extremely tough for myself and my family,” he revealed upon his comeback. “But it’s also been a really good opportunity to kind of take stock, have a good look at why you find yourself in these kind of situations, and start to have some honest conversations, really.
“With yourself, with other people, people that are close to you, people that have been very supportive during this period of time and just kind of work your way back to a position where I can get back to doing what I love most.”