Jermaine Jenas is now one of the most familiar faces or voices on TV, both with football shows and other TV spots. The former Premier League midfielder now lives in Hertfordshire but makes regular appearances on TV either analysing football, commentating on the football or now on The One Show.
For those that don't know him though, he's had a wonderful career in the game playing for some of the biggest teams in English football. Making over 300 league appearances at different levels, Jenas has played for the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Aston Villa and more.
Since his career was cut short due to injuries, he's achieved some fantastic things like commentating on the Euros in 2021. Here is how the Hertfordshire resident has gone from a fantastic career on the pitch to becoming a regular on our TV screens and a bit about his life behind the camera.
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It all started for Jermaine in Nottingham, England where he was born in 1983. The now 39-year-old was always destined to make it in football as he was showing bundles of talent at such a young age.
He made his professional debut at 17 - which not many players can say they did - for his boyhood club Nottingham Forest. From there, he had a big-time move to Newcastle United where he made a name for himself.
Signing for a fee of £5million, Jenas had the world at his feet and in that same year, he earned his first senior cap for his country England. However, Jenas couldn't have been in a tougher period in football as the quality of English midfielders was amazing with the likes of Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and others coming through.
Despite the competition, he was named the PFA Young Player of the Year when playing for Newcastle in the Premier League. Sadly though, injuries stumped his development and he never reached his true potential due to too many major setbacks.
He then made another step up in his career after moving to Tottenham Hotspur for £7million. Just a couple of years after joining the North London side, they won the Football League Cup with Jenas grabbing the vital assist which won the game.
He was also included in England's World Cup squad in 2006 but sadly never played in the tournament. Loan spells at Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest failed for Jenas and he finished his career at QPR.
This was when he made his move in front of the camera permanently getting a role as a pundit for BBC. He has since got similar roles for BT Sport and other companies and has even gone further into the football to TV switch by co-presenting The One Show. He was made one of the permanent hosts in 2021.
Jenas is also married with four children. He now enjoys a much more relaxed life in Hertfordshire. He has four children, two girls with his current wife, a son born in 2021 and an older daughter from another relationship.
His family means everything to him. Recalling his and his wife's relationship during the early days in an interview with the Belfast Telegraph, Jermaine said: "She's been a rock keeping the family going through tough times.
"It was love at first sight when I saw her, but not for her. She wasn't impressed by this cheeky, co*cky guy who thought she'd be bowled over when I drove up in my Ferrari.
She actually made me get rid of the car because it was too noisy! She's told me she thought when we first met that I was a bit of an over-confident idiot, but I won her over finally."
After a fabulous career which is continuing, Jenas lives in a beautiful house which is modern and spacious. Not only is he footy-mad but he loves a bit of golf too and it's no surprise that he lives near some fabulous golf courses.
Along with his main interests, Jenas loves helping others and has done so in many different ways. He presented a BBC Three documentary on knife crime where he spoke to a number of teenagers and families affected by knife crime.
He also set up a foundation which rewards truant students in disadvantaged schools with football tickets if they do really well in their attendance and school work. One thing that is for sure, unlike some footballers, he really hasn't forgotten his roots and is inspired by helping others.
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