Gary and Wayne Lineker's murky past as they're both pictured at family wedding

Daily Mirror

4 days ago

The long-standing rift between the brothers didn't stand in the way of a family celebration as Gary Lineker's son Harry and new wife Annabelle said 'I do' in Ibiza this weekend
As Wayne and Gary Lineker reunited to mark an important family moment, it presented a further opportunity to repair their fractured relationship.
The brothers were in attendance as Gary's son Harry married fiancée Annabelle in Ibiza. His sibling George, 33, share some special moments from the sun-soaked celebration, which also included Gary's estranged sibling. The Lineker brothers were both in high spirits as they joined in the festivities at a family gathering.
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They didn't let their differences show as they downed drinks at the bash, both pictured pouring booze into their mouths as they got the party started. There was no sign of any issued between them as they toasted the happy couple with the former Match Of The Day presenter looking relaxed on the White Island.
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The 17-year rift between the siblings, which Wayne attributes to beginning in 2008, has been no secret, with the younger brother squarely blaming Gary's ex-wife for the family discord. Tensions reportedly escalated over Wayne's lively social life creating friction.
Wayne claimed they drifted apart when Gary started seeing Danielle Bux, whom he married the following year, and went on to divorce in 2016. "In my opinion, Danielle cost me my relationship with my brother. Sadly, Gary is no longer a part of my life," Wayne told The Sun in April 2015.
Wayne claimed he was baffled when their weekly phone conversations and home visits came to an abrupt end. The Ibiza playboy couldn't understand why their contact had fizzled out within a year, but he put the blame on an awkward first meeting with Danielle. Accepting their polarity, Wayne, now 62, previously said: "Gary is a very intelligent guy in a general knowledge kind of way, whereas I'm not. I'm savvy and streetwise."
"They came to Ibiza in August 2008 and it was really awkward. I didn't spark with Danielle and our relationship was cold," said Wayne. He claimed Danielle stayed in her room for the whole of the first day then they didn't speak at all during a night out the next evening.
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Not wanting to upset his brother, Wayne didn't question Gary about the frostiness, but the holiday would be the last time he ever spoke to Danielle. Wayne had been the best man at Gary's first wedding to ex-wife Michelle Cockayne in 1986, but he didn't even attend his second set of nuptials.
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The club owner refused to attend because he was told his then-girlfriend, model Ana Tanaka, was not invited just months before the big day. "He was my brother, and he was telling me that I couldn't bring my girlfriend of a year and a half to his wedding. She was a lovely, polite girl, and not a five-minute girlfriend," argued Wayne.
Wayne claimed his attempts to reconcile their brotherly bond failed, and an awkward call on Gary's 50th birthday lasted less than a minute. Wayne admitted he had given up, adding: "I would love nothing more than him to call me up tomorrow and ask to go to lunch to speak about it, but I don't think it's going to happen."
Offering Gary's alleged perspective on things in a 2015 interview with the Mail, Wayne's old pal and former PR man, Neil Deal, claimed: "Gary had a bit of a problem with Wayne's party lifestyle. "He and his brother used to get along well enough, but they were worlds apart. And as Gary became more famous in sport and TV, Wayne seemed to become more of a party animal to compensate, and they just grew apart."
But eight years ago, the brothers had slowly started to heal their rift. "We talk now. We are not how we were years and years ago, but we speak more now," Wayne told The Sunday Mirror. "We are slowly getting there. It's important. He's my brother. We were so close. We used to play golf twice a week, go to each other's houses and speak every day on the phone." While most people were shocked that Gary remained close friends with Danielle after they split up, it didn't come as a surprise to his brother."