Gary Lineker became one of the most famous football pundits thanks to his longstanding BBC career – and has never been one to hide away from speaking about his personal life
Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker has bid a teary farewell to his role at the BBC. Having spent 26 years on the show, he has become one of the most recognisable pundits on telly, but his long stint has now come to an end.
While he regularly fronted BBC’s football coverage, Gary never shied away from being open about his personal life. Away from work, the presenter, who earned a cool £1.35million per year, often spends his free time with his four sons back home in London.
The ex-England player has been married twice, and shares his four sons with first wife Michelle Cockayne, whom he married in 1986 and divorced 20 years later. He then married Danielle Bux, but that marriage ended after six years.
Since then, the Leicester legend has been happily single – but he has shared some insight into his previous marriages and where he stands with his two ex wives.
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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 presenter has been single ever since 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. He insisted: “I am still single. I am not going down that route! I have been there before and tried to explain myself and I got slaughtered by my friends.” Gary also denied ever using dating apps and refused to let his sons set up an online profile for him.
After Gary and Danielle split, she went on to marry Nate Greenwald, an American entertainment lawyer, in 2019 and the couple welcomed their now-four-year-old daughter, Romy. Although, the exes still come together with their families. At Christmas in 2023, Danielle posted a photo with Gary alongside her eldest daughter Ella, who she shares with a 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 star 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?”
An earlier version of this story was published in November 2024.
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