Jermaine Jenas has slammed the BBC for "taking away his life" in the wake of his high profile sexting scandal. The former footballer, 42, was dropped from The One Show and Match of the Day last year following complaints about his workplace conduct. He was sacked by the BBC over a string of X-rated messages he had sent. The former England star addressed his controversial sacking, which led to the collapse of his marriage to his wife of 14 years, Ellie, with the pair announcing their split in March. Speaking on the scandal, he admitted he had "made a mistake" which saw his career taken from him in an instant.

In a recent podcast with Reece Mennie, Jermaine said: "It was a mistake that is something that me and my wife and my family have to deal with. I worked 10 years post-retirement from being a footballer and I can take it as far back as I want from starting from nothing to becoming a footballer to getting myself in a very fortunate position to work on television.

He continued: "It's a lot of hard work that you put into the job, but at the same time, it can be taken away from you like that.

"That's one thing that I've recognised."

The former Tottenham star admitted it had been a "really difficult moment" as he now tries to rebuild his career.

"I have always held up my hand and taken full responsibility for it, that’s very important to do," he commented. "You go through a lot of different emotions of anger and blame, but eventually you realise 'take responsibility and you’ll be able to move forward'."

His former co-presenter Alex Jones recently addressed Jermaine's exit from the programme.

The BBC host has since revealed she had no idea about the complaints until he was sacked.

In a recent interview with the Big Issue, Alex said : "I very much take people on face value. But with JJ [Jenas] I didn't know what was going on. I had no idea. I thought he was taking extended leave.

The BBC didn't share with me what was going on until they actually dealt with it. And, you know, they did what they thought was right."

She added, "If that was my daughter and she felt uncomfortable with someone's behaviour, I hope that whatever company she was working for would deal with it swiftly as well."

Jermaine issued an apology after he was axed, saying he had done "nothing illegal" and that "inappropriate messages" sent were "between two consenting adults".

Months later, his wife, Ellie, announced the couple had split up in an Instagram post, writing: "I never imagined I would have to share something so personal with the public, but given the situation, I feel it's necessary. After 16 years together and 4 wonderful children, Jermaine and I have decided to part ways.

"We will remain friends and continue to co-parent."