'A thirst for blood' - Jermaine Jenas criticises Preston's Ranvir Singh following GMB interview

A footballer turned TV star has taken to social media to blast a TV presenter from Preston.

Former professional footballer Jermaine Jenas was a guest on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Friday, which was hosted by presenters Kate Garraway and Preston’s Ranvir Singh.

During the show, the 43-year-old’s chat with the GMB duo turned tense when they began to quiz Jermaine on the sexting scandal which saw the BBC fire him two years ago.

The father of four had been a co-presenter on the One Show since 2020 but the BBC dismissed him with immediate effect in August 2024 for inappropriate behaviour, following complaints about messages sent to female colleagues.

Jermaine was dropped by his talent agency and lost his marriage following the incident.

Speaking about it for the first time, Jermaine told the GMB presenters “I feel like I need to start speaking. I’ve lost everything, my job, my family, everything has been taken away from me. I have faced the punishment.”

It appears the interview did not go down well with Jermaine, however, as he took to his Instagram hours later to criticise his interviewees.

He was especially upset with ‘one presenter in particular’, with fans in the comments taking this as referring to Prestonian Ranvir, who led the most heated parts of the conversation.

In a video shared with his 203k followers, Jermaine said: “How do I feel after my interview on Good Morning Britain?

“First and foremost, I’m glad I did it, I really am, because I think any time you’re presented with these big tests in your life, I think standing up to them is important.

“No matter what side of it you land, you just feel better that you stood up to the challenge. So I’m happy that I did that.

“There’s obviously a level of disappointment as well, just purely and simply with the direction that the interview was taken. It felt like they had an agenda. It felt like there was a thirst for blood from one presenter in particular.

“It just, if I’m honest, felt unnecessary to me and it leant itself to what I said in my last post, it’s the reason I had fears going into it and why I questioned, do I need this in my life?

“They invited me on. I didn’t ask to go on the show. They invited me on because they saw my post about these transitions in your life and rebuilding your life.

“But still, no matter how many conversations I had with producers about, ‘okay, we can touch on this, but we want to move forward and look at what’s next,’ it just felt like a trap. It just felt like one individual had an agenda and she was going to twist the knife because she wanted to.

“I can handle that, it’s totally fine, it is what it is. I just wanted to show you lot [that] this is part of my journey, it’s the journey that I’m on, and it is a warts-and-all documentation of what’s going off in this transitional period in my life.

“I think it’s very important that you all see what the media is like and if I’m honest, that side of it, I don’t miss at all.”

In the comments, Instagram users were divided on Jermaine’s take, with some fully supporting his view and others questioning it.

For instance the most liked comment read: “I am very confused by your response. I think the questions you were asked were entirely fair, and I don't believe you demonstrated a deeper understanding of how you used a position of power in ways that made women you worked with feel uncomfortable.

“This is twofold. As a man, you occupy a position of power within society over women, and as a well-known TV personality, you also held a position of influence that likely played into the choices you made. When you were asked what you would like other people to understand or learn from this, you had an opportunity to take a more positive and constructive approach. You could have spoken about how you would encourage other men not to behave in this way, and acknowledged that men can and do use their power and status in ways that affect women differently.

“Instead, it felt as though you focused primarily on your own intentions rather than recognising the impact of your behaviour and the wider issues of power and responsibility involved.”

On the opposite side, another user wrote: “The manner in which you conducted yourself was top drawer. Takes a hell lot of courage to speak the way you did. Very clear that you’ve learnt a tremendous amount from this. Keep going mate!”

Neither Ranvir or Kate have said anything extra on the matter.

Following the GMB interview, a BBC spokesperson said: “We do not comment on individuals, but we will always look at any issues raised with us and take action as appropriate.”