Gary Lineker's vast net worth after BBC exit, 'weird' love life and public apology
Gary Lineker's vast net worth after BBC exit, 'weird' love life and public apology
Gary Lineker is set to leave the BBC after 26 years with the corporation, with his final episode of Match of the Day set to air on Sunday, after he was sensationally axed
Gary Lineker (R) and ex wife Danielle Bux
Gary Lineker is poised to part ways with the BBC after Sunday night's episode of Match of the Day – and he will not be returning to present the corporation's coverage of next year's World Cup.
The 64-year-old presenter is set to conclude his tenure with the broadcaster by hosting his last ever episode of Match of the Day on Sunday, marking an end to his 26-year stint. Although he was scheduled to leave the show at the season's close, he was also lined up to lead the BBC's World Cup coverage and their live FA Cup broadcasts for the 2025/26 season.
Nevertheless, his departure from the corporation is now imminent this weekend, following a controversial social media post about Zionism that featured an image of a rat, traditionally an antisemitic trope.
Despite issuing an apology and insisting he would never intentionally share antisemitic content, BBC chiefs reportedly find Lineker's role at the broadcaster to be no longer sustainable.
An official statement regarding the former Leicester City, Barcelona, and Tottenham Hotspur forward's exit is anticipated to be released on Monday, reports Wales Online.
Lineker has been in the spotlight in recent years due to both professional and personal developments, including the hefty BBC salary he is about to forfeit and his "weird" romantic life, which has also attracted attention.
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As he gears up to bid farewell to the BBC, here's the lowdown on the presenter's life outside the broadcasting booth.
'Outrageous' BBC salary
Lineker is waving goodbye to the BBC and with it, his staggering wage packet, which has made him the corporation's top-earning presenter continuously for seven years.
Last year's BBC annual salary report in June disclosed that for 2023/2024, the presenter pocketed a sum between £1,300,000 and £1,354,999.
The Daily Mail reports that Lineker was once willing to stay on as the face of Match of the Day beyond the current season, even proposing to slash his fee by about £350,000.
His prior salary from the Beeb hit a lofty £1.75 million, prompting veteran BBC presenter John Humphreys to brand it "outrageous" back in 2019.
Though celebrated as a football legend, it's Lineker's television endeavours that have largely bolstered his bank account since his football career ended pre-Premier League windfall.
Not to mention, his Goalhanger Podcasts is proving lucrative, with The Rest Is Football podcast leading to an impressive £1.4 million profit reported earlier this year.
Citing the Mirror, it's believed that Lineker's various enterprises amass him a net worth in the region of £30 million.
'Weird' relationship with ex-wife
Lineker's romantic history has often been a topic of public fascination, with the Match of the Day host acknowledging that some might find one of his past relationships "weird".
The ex-England footballer tied the knot with his first wife, Michelle Cockayne, in 1986, and the couple had four sons: George, Harry, Tobias, and Angus.
Their marriage ended after twenty years, with Cockayne filing for divorce in 2006, citing Lineker's supposed "unreasonable behaviour" which allegedly caused her significant "stress and anxiety", according to court documents.
In a twist of fate, two years post-separation, Lineker met Welsh actress and model Danielle Bux through a mutual friend, leading to their marriage in 2009.
The union didn't last, however, with the pair divorcing in 2016 over Lineker's decision against expanding their family.
Bux moved on to have a daughter with American lawyer Nate Greenwald, whom she married in 2019.
Despite the end of their marriage, Lineker maintains there's no discomfort between him, Bux, or Greenwald, even joining them for meals when he's in Los Angeles.
"[Greenwald] has not got a jealous bone in his body," Lineker shared with 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?".
The presenter also disclosed in a chat with The Times that he's enjoying the single life, confessing: "I like being on my own".
"I know it sounds a bit mad," he continued. "I have lots of company. I've got lots of friends and I've also got my boys... I don't feel lonely. I have the odd date here and there but nothing serious in terms of a long relationship.
"I've been married most of my adult life. Two really good marriages, I'm friends with both. I'm not saying whether it'll change. It might do. I don't know. But at the minute I'm very comfortable."
Lineker has been seen out and about with Jemima Goldsmith, former spouse of ex-cricketer and past Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, yet any rumours of a budding romance were quickly quashed.
Public apology
Lineker's BBC exit comes after he shared a social media post about Zionism that included an illustration of a rat, which is historically used as an antisemitic insult.
While he deleted the post and issued a public apology, it was reported over the weekend that his position had become untenable in the eyes of BBC bosses.
The former England footballer last week issued a statement, again apologising for his actions but accepting that walking away from his role at the BBC now "feels like the responsible course of action".
"Last week, I shared a post on Instagram that contained an emoji that has awful connotations," said Lineker. "Unfortunately I did not see the emoji, if I had, I would never, ever have shared it.
"The minute I was made aware, I quickly deleted the post and went on to make an apology. I would like once again to say I am sorry, unreservedly, for the hurt, and upset, caused. It was a genuine mistake and oversight, but I should have been more diligent. I know that.
"I have stood up for minorities and humanitarian issues, and against all forms of racism, all of my life, including, of course, anti-Semitism, which I absolutely abhor. There is no place for it and never should be.
Confirming his exit, he added: "I think it's best for all concerned that I step down from BBC presenting duties all together and not do next season's FA Cup or World Cup. The final day of the Premier League season on Sunday will be my last show.
"It's been a pleasure and a huge privilege working with the BBC for 30 years, especially hosting Match of the Day, a programme which is so close to my heart and an integral part of my life.
"I'd like to thank all the quite brilliant, talented and lovely people working both in front and behind the camera who I have worked alongside for three decades. You are the absolute best.
"The relationship with the BBC has been long and wonderful, but it's the right time, for the organisation and myself, to go separate ways.
"Thank you all, to all of you, for your incredible support and love over so many years, it means the world to me. I'll see you all on Sunday."
Concerns for his health
Lineker takes his health seriously and has been vocal about his worries over potentially developing dementia or Parkinson's due to his footballing days.
Football legends such as Nobby Stiles, Jack Charlton, and Martin Peters have all passed away with dementia, highlighting the risks faced by former professionals.
Research from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden has spotlighted that former footballers are an alarming 50 per cent more likely to develop dementia than the general population. Even before this stark revelation, Gary Lineker, conscious of the potential risks, had already steered clear from headers during training due to health concerns.
"Any footballer should be apprehensive [about headers] and I don't mind admitting that I am," he expressed to the Sun. "I headed the ball a lot as a kid – and when I was 20, 21, I made a conscious decision not to do it in training.
"Winter would bring wet, heavy balls – not like the new ones they get weekly today – and my concern stemmed from the fact I frequently scored with my head," he said, reflecting on his earlier days when practice involved less frequent replacement of equipment, heightening his worry about the long-term effects on brain health.
The former England striker, who successfully netted 32 goals with his head during his career, added, "I've had conversations with Alan Shearer and Ian Wright and others about the worry that, come 10, 15 years, that it [dementia] might happen to one of us. The odds suggest that it probably will."
In an open admission last year, Lineker shared his ongoing anxiety: "I'll have my triannual test this summer and ask if there's anything they can establish around the brain, because I don't see how, given the circumstances, any footballer wouldn't be worried about it. It's a worry. I don't mind admitting that it concerns me. There's no question there's a link."
His worries gain a personal dimension, tracing back to the sorrowful loss of his grandfather to Parkinson's disease - a loss that carries additional weight considering his grandfather's career in football.
"My grandfather was in the army but a very good footballer, too," he disclosed to the Daily Mail. "He was in his mid-50s when he developed Parkinson's. We didn't think of why at the time."
Gary Lineker also shared with The Sun about his prostate cancer scare during a routine health check: "I have a full body check every couple of years and I did have one prostate scare.
"It's important to get ahead of it and a lot of men, we sometimes think, 'I'm all right'. We don't want to see doctors. But that's a dangerous game. We are all a little bit scared of having something and I think it's fair to share that."
Furthermore, Lineker had once feared contracting Aids while playing for England in 1988; however, it turned out to be hepatitis. Recounting the experience in his memoir 'Behind Closed Doors: Life, Laughs and Football', he observed: "I started to notice something was wrong during the European Championships in the summer of 1988.
"In our second game we played... I felt considerably more ill – heavy-limbed and aching. There didn't seem to be any explanation for it.
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"I was also losing weight – about a stone and a half, it would eventually emerge. I quietly wondered if I had Aids. I managed to frighten myself with the thought."
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