Gary Lineker has compared working at the BBC to being married and says he was “treading on eggshells all the time”.
The sports broadcaster stepped down as presenter of BBC’s Match Of The Day in May last year after 26 years, following criticism over him airing his political opinions on social media.
Speaking to Davina McCall on the Begin Again podcast on Thursday (3 September), Lineker said: “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.
“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.”
Lineker now fronts The Rest Is Football podcast, with series aired as a daily TV show on Netflix during the 2026 World Cup.
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