God. Breakups are brutal enough without having the whole damn world watching. And that's exactly what former Spurs midfielder Jermaine Jenas is dealing with right now.

I actually felt a bit sick listening to his recent podcast confession. There's something deeply uncomfortable about a man admitting he'd have stayed "unhappy for the rest of his life" just to keep his family intact. Like watching someone expose a raw nerve.

When your wife's had enough (and half the country knows why)

Ellie Penfold, Jenas's wife of 16 years and mother to their four children, announced their split back in March. The timing? About six months after the BBC booted him following that messy sexting scandal with colleagues that had everyone's eyebrows in their hairline.

Remember that whole disaster? The 42-year-old former England player got caught sending X-rated messages to two female BBC workmates. He later admitted to it but made sure to emphasize they were consensual and nothin' illegal happened. As if that makes everything peachy.

He told The Sun his wife was absolutely "raging" after teh allegations came out. No kidding! I'd be plotting murder, not just divorce.

The brutal podcast confession

Speaking on Filthy Fellas (which, let's be honest, is probably the perfect podcast name for this particular conversation), Jenas laid his feelings bare.

"It was her decision and one that I had to accept," he said, sounding like a man who'd been punched in the gut repeatedly.

"If it was up to me - and I think a lot of men are like this - I'd probably be prepared to be unhappy for the rest of my life if [it meant] I had my kids in it. If I have my kids, I'm quite happy to sacrifice."

That hit me hard. Like, what kind of miserable existence would that be? And what kind of example does that set for the kids?

Wait... did he just blame "man nature" for cheating?

Then came the part that made me choke on my coffee. Jenas casually dropped this gem: "It's a man thing. Relationships are what they are - they have highs, they have lows and people cheat - some people do, some people don't, but you figure a lot of things out."

Excuse me? Did he just normalize cheating as some inevitable "man thing"? My partner walked by while I was watching this and just muttered "classic" before walking out. Can't say I disagree.

According to Jenas, Ellie had "ran the course more than probably me." Translation: she was completely done while he was still willing to live in misery just to maintain the family structure.

Those damn text messages

Jenas insists the split wasn't directly because of his workplace sexting scandal. "The reality is, me and my wife haven't split up because I sent some text messages to some people at work," he claimed.

Sure, Jan.

He continued: "We had issues for a period of time, it all comes to a head and you eventually make a decision to say, as adults, we will be better parents for our children if we just remain friends and that's it."

The woman who saved him

There was one moment that actually felt genuine. Jenas credited Ellie with "dragging him out of the gutter" when his playing career was derailed by injury.

"She's the one that picked me back up and gave me the belief and the strength to go 'get yourself back out there, I believe in you'."

I spoke with a friend who works in sports psychology last night about this. She pointed out how common it is for athletes to struggle with identity after career-ending injuries. "Their partners often become emotional caretakers," she texted. "And that imbalance can follow them for years."

Fascinating. And heartbreaking.

So what now?

Jenas returned to talkSPORT in February (because men in sports media always seem to land on their feet, don't they?). He made all the usual noises about "taking responsibility" and "working on yourself."

Meanwhile, Ellie confirmed their split with the kind of dignified Instagram statement that probably took 17 drafts and three bottles of wine to perfect: "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."

I've seen this movie before. My cousin went through almost the exact same scenario in 2018 (minus the fame and BBC job). They also promised to "remain friends" for the kids. Two years later they were communicating exclusively through their lawyers. Hope Jenas and Ellie fare better.

But seriously... would you really choose lifelong unhappiness just to keep your family under one roof? Or is that just something people say after they've already lost everything?