Entertainment
Is Gary Lineker married and does he have any children? Get to know about pundit’s personal life amidst BBC row-Emily Bashforth-Entertainment – Metro
We’ve got the goss…
As Gary Lineker makes headlines around the country, let’s delve inside his personal life… (Picture: Getty)
Gary Lineker is the talk of the country right now, given his impartiality row with the BBC.
Lineker, 62, has been at the centre of a major media storm this week, resulting in him being asked to step back from fronting Match Of The Day on Saturday (March 11) ‘until an agreement is reached on his social media use’.
The controversial decision from the BBC came after Lineker compared the UK government’s language around migrants to the language used in 1930s Germany, on his personal Twitter account.
But, the presenter has received an outpouring of solidarity from fellow TV stars and pundits, with many also backing out of their BBC gigs in support.
So, while Lineker’s life makes headlines, let’s take a look inside his personal life, as we give you all the deets on his wife and children, and his net worth…
Is Gary Linekar married?
Lineker was married to Michelle Cockayne for 20 years (Picture: Jenny Goodall/ANL/REX/Shutterstock)
Gary Lineker is not currently married, but he has been twice before.
The sports pundit’s ex-wives are Michelle Cockayne and Danielle Bux, and while he doesn’t talk in detail about his love life, he is thought to now be single after is last divorce in 2016.
Lineker was first married to Cockayne in 1986 and they were together for 20 years.
The pair also welcomed four sons before separating in 2006 after ‘growing apart.’
After so many years together, the split came as a shock to many, as there was an assumption that Lineker and Cockayne were rock solid.
He split from Danielle Bux after their 20-year age difference meant Lineker didn’t want any more kids (Picture: Walter McBride/WireImage)
In 2007, Lineker began dating actress and model Bux, who is 20 years his junior.
They were introduced after being set up on a blind date and tied the knot in a lavish Italian ceremony in 2009.
Lineker and Bux proved themselves to be the model couple, showing just how well they knew each other in 2009 during an appearance on ITV’s Mr and Mrs, on which they won £30,000 for charity.
Alas, it wasn’t meant to last, as the former lovebirds went their separate ways in 2016.
The rumoured reason for their split being that then 56-year-old Lineker didn’t want any more children.
Lineker and Cockayne had four sons together (Picture: REX/Shutterstock)
He and Bux remained on friendly terms after their split (Picture: Richard Young/Shutterstock)
But, they remained on friendly terms, with Lineker later sharing that he and Bux were ‘best mates’ and continued to ‘speak three times a day’ and ‘text all the time.’
He later admitted he ‘obviously’ would have had kids with his ex-wife, but she didn’t think it was ‘fair’ on him.
Bux is now married to Nate Greenwald, with whom she has a daughter of her own.
Does Gary Linekar have any children?
Lineker and Cockayne’s four children are now all grown up.
They share 31-year-old George, as well as Harry, 29, Tobias, 27, and Angus, 25.
None of the brood has followed in their famous dad’s footsteps, however, with George previously confessing to The Sun that he is ‘useless’ at sport.
As for their jobs, George co-founded his own business, Your Business Number, Harry works as a producer, and Angus is a business development manager.
Meanwhile, Tobias travels the world as a DJ.
The sports pundit is a proud dad to four children, now all grown up (Picture: Jonathan Hordle/REX/Shutterstock)
Eldest George was extremely ill as a baby with acute myeloid leukaemia, a rare form of blood cancer.
He was given just a 10-20% chance of survival, with dad Lineker going on to front a campaign to encourage people to donate blood to help save his life.
George has clearly remained close with his father over the years, as he recently became the first from the family to break their silence amidst his BBC row.
In conversation with The Sunday Mirror, the former England player’s eldest said: ‘This week has been very overwhelming, and I do think it has been hurtful for Dad. But all the support he has received has made him feel a lot better and I know he has no regrets.’
George said his dad put on a brave face after he initially found out he had been asked to ‘stand down’, and he texted him, receiving a thumbs up emoji reply from his dad.
He shares George, Harry, Tobias, and Angus with his first wife (Picture: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)
But he claims his dad got emotional when he learned of fellow TV stars and pundits also standing down from their BBC roles in solidarity.
George explained: ‘After it all kicked off, me and my brothers messaged him saying, “We’re proud of you”, and he replied, “Cheers boys”, with a thumbs up emoji.
‘Later he told us that he’d been so overwhelmed by the support. He wrote, “Shearer and Wrighty backing down made me emotional, it means a lot to me.”
‘I think he did cry when he found out about that. The support has been a positive thing to come out of this.’
He assured he’s in constant contact with his dad: ‘I’ve been messaging him today, just saying, “How are you doing Dad, how are you holding up?”, And he replied, “All good”.’
George was also keen to sing his dad’s praises, hailing him ‘a good human’, stating that he’s ‘proud of him for standing by his word.’
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What is Gary Lineker’s net worth?
Lineker is one of the most well-paid stars on the BBC (Picure: Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
It was previously reported that Lineker rakes in £1.35million from his BBC work alone.
As for his net worth, Celebrity Net Worth states that, as of 2023, he is worth a mega $35million (£29.1m), having enjoyed a successful career on the pitch as a player and now in broadcasting and commentary.
A July 2022 report revealed that Lineker was the highest paid at the BBC for the fifth consecutive year.
Of course, we all know him as the face of Walkers crisps too, for which Lineker is estimated to receive around £1m for his advertising campaigns.
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