Gary Lineker's unusual set-up with his ex-wife and blunt sex admission

Match of the Day host Gary Lineker, who is set to step down after 25 years on the show, hasn't shied away from opening up about his love life and relationship with his exes

Gary Lineker is enjoying single life after two divorces in the public eye.

The Match of the Day presenter, 63, is one of the most recognisable faces on television thanks to his hugely successful football career and role as a pundit. Now, the long-serving host is ending his MOTD stint with at the end of the season, but remain with the BBC until the end of the 2026 World Cup.

Away from work, Gary - who earns £1.35million per year from the corporation - spends his time kicking back at home in London with his four sons. The ex-England goalscorer has been married twice and shares all of his children with his first wife, Michelle Cockayne, whom he married in 1986 and divorced 20 years later.

In 2007, the star began dating Danielle Bux, who was 20 years his junior, and they later married in Italy. But their marriage only lasted six years before the pair announced they were splitting in early 2016, reportedly due to their differing opinions on starting a family.

In 2019, Gary 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."

The Leicester icon has since been single and has candidly opened up about his dating life. Back in 2021, he claimed to be unbothered about intimacy anymore, conceding he was at an age where his testosterone levels had dropped. More recently, he has insisted he doesn't miss being married and is content that his working life and sons occupy the bulk of his time.

In an interview with The Times, Gary said: "I like being on my own... I don't feel lonely. I have the odd date here and there, but nothing, not in terms of a long relationship. I've been married most of my adult life. Two really good marriages, I'm friends with both."

The pundit described his second wife Danielle as his 'best mate' and refused to comment on his sex life. He insisted: "I am still single. I am not going down that route! I have been there before and tried to explain myself and I got slaughtered by my friends." Gary also denied ever using dating apps and refused to let his sons set up an online profile for him.

After Gary and Danielle split, she went on to marry Nate Greenwald, an American entertainment lawyer, in 2019 and the couple welcomed their now-four-year-old daughter, Romy. Although, the exes still come together with their families. Last Christmas, Danielle posted a photo with Gary alongside her eldest daughter Ella, who she shares with a former partner Adam Willis.

She captioned the photo "Our annual Christmas dinner", and Gary shared the picture with the comment, "Always a delight". The sports presenter previously explained how he continues to keep in touch with his ex and Danielle's current husband never gets 'jealous' of their relationship.

"He's not got a jealous bone in his body," Gary said to the Radio Times. "We get on really well. We go out for dinner when I'm in LA. It might be unusual and people might go, 'That's weird' but, frankly, I don't care. What is normal? Is it better to get divorced and end up fighting, screaming and shouting? Or is it better to get on if you can?"