Gary Lineker has likened his lengthy career at the BBC to a marriage, revealing he felt as though he was constantly “treading on eggshells” during his time at the corporation.
The former England striker, who departed Match of the Day in May 2025 after a 26-year stint presenting the flagship football programme, made the remarks on Davina McCall’s Begin Again podcast.
His exit from the BBC came after years of controversy surrounding his willingness to share political views on social media and the corporation’s impartiality rules.
Having been married twice himself, Mr Lineker, 65, drew a parallel between those relationships and his professional split from the broadcaster.
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Speaking on the podcast, the presenter declared: “I will say that I love the BBC for all its faults. I mean, and it has a few.
“But it’s an amazing institution, and it’s hugely respected around the world, and we should be proud of it.”
He went on to compare his departure directly to the end of a marriage, explaining: “I’ve been married twice, and eventually you kind of go your different ways.
“And it was a bit like that with the BBC.
“But yet, I must say though, living life outside of the BBC without having that thing on show, it’s nice not treading on eggshells all the time.”
Mr Lineker’s comments come more than a year after his long-running relationship with the broadcaster came to a premature end.
He had already been due to step down from Match of the Day at the conclusion of the 2024/25 season but was initially expected to remain with the BBC to front its FA Cup coverage and the 2026 World Cup.
However, those plans were abandoned following a row over a social media post shared by the presenter in May 2025.
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Mr Lineker had reposted a video about Zionism which contained an illustration of a rat, an image historically used as an antisemitic trope.
The presenter subsequently deleted the post and apologised, insisting he had not noticed the image and describing the incident as a “genuine mistake and oversight”.
Following the controversy, it was announced that Mr Lineker would leave the corporation altogether after his final Match of the Day appearance.
BBC Director-General Tim Davie said at the time Mr Lineker had acknowledged the “mistake he made” and both parties agreed he would step back from further presenting duties.
The controversy marked the final chapter in years of tension surrounding Mr Lineker’s social media activity.
In March 2023, Mr Lineker was temporarily removed from Match of the Day after criticising the then-Conservative government’s asylum policy.
Mr Lineker described the policy as “immeasurably cruel” and compared the language being used by the Government to that used by Germany in the 1930s.
The BBC said at the time his social media activity breached its guidelines and announced he would step back from presenting Match of the Day until an agreement had been reached over his use of social media.
The decision sparked major disruption to the corporation’s sports coverage, with regular pundits including Ian Wright and Alan Shearer refusing to appear on the programme in solidarity with Mr Lineker.
Match of the Day subsequently aired without its usual presenters, pundits or commentary before Mr Lineker returned to the programme.
The BBC later commissioned an independent review of its social media guidelines.
Since leaving the BBC, the former England star has continued to build his podcasting career through The Rest Is Football alongside Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.
The podcast was also broadcast as a daily programme on Netflix during the 2026 World Cup, allowing Mr Lineker to cover the tournament after his planned BBC presenting role was scrapped.
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