Gary Lineker's life away from MOTD - beauty pageant ex, sex life admission, £4m home

Gary Lineker's footballing exploits and post-playing career have usually been the topic of discussion when it comes to the Match of the Day host rather than his life away from the sport

Gary Lineker hasn't shied away from opening up about his sex life and whether he's a fan of dating apps.

The Match of the Day presenter is usually chatting away about all things football on BBC's flagship show or his podcast, The Rest Is Football, alongside colleagues Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.

While the ex-Tottenham and Barcelona striker isn't afraid to state his opinions on non-football subjects such as politics, the topic of his private life is something he hasn't regularly shared but has opted to talk about when asked.

For someone who once appeared on MOTD in just his boxers - thanks to Leicester City's seemingly improbable Premier League triumph in 2016 - revelations surrounding intimate relationships would appear to be less daunting.

Beauty pageant ex

Lineker began dating actress and model Danielle Bux - who is 18 years younger than him - a year after he split up with his first wife Michelle Cockayne. The pair got hitched two years later in 2009 after they were set up on a blind date but their marriage lasted six years as they divorced in 2016.

The split was reportedly due to Lineker, who has four children, not wanting any more children but despite their divorce, they remain on good terms with the former footballer enjoying a close relationship with his ex-wife and stepdaughter Ella.

Speaking to the Mirror in September 2019, Lineker explained: "Danielle and I are best mates, we still speak three times a day, we text all the time. When she comes to London she stays with me, and when I go to LA I see her."

Sex life revelations

Lineker hasn't delved too deep in discussing his life between the sheets but did claim in a 2021 interview that he's not as worried about intimacy as he once was in his younger years.

"I am still single," he told the Times. "I am not going down that route! I have been there before and tried to explain myself and I got slaughtered by my friends."

Lineker insisted that he's comfortable living alone, having not dabbled with dating apps but remaining open to finding love once again. "I’ve been married most of my adult life," he added.

"Two really good marriages, I’m friends with both. Danielle’s kind of my best mate, so I have that female connection with her. I’m not saying whether it’ll change. It might do. But at the minute I’m very comfortable."

£4million home

On top of his 16-year professional football career, Lineker has banked even more money thanks to being the BBC's highest-paid employee as he rakes in an annual salary of £1.35million. While he originally hails from Leicester, the 63-year-old now resides in the west London district of Barnes.

His trendy house, which is reportedly worth £4m, is located beside the River Thames and is part of the prosperous borough of Richmond. Including a spacious home gym which Lineker puts to good use if his Instagram posts are anything to go by, his abode is kitted out with a cinema room, modern living spaces and a picturesque garden.

His adult children

Lineker shares four sons with Michelle who are George, 31, Harry, 30, Tobias, 28, and Angus, 26. All four didn't follow in their father's footsteps when it comes to football with George delving into business as the co-founder of Your Business Number, which provides business numbers to entrepreneurs.

Harry works at his father's production company, Goalhanger Films Ltd, where they specialise in sporting documentaries while Tobias has made a living as a successful DJ. Like his older brother, Angus opted to enter the business world, where he has become a successful development manager.

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