In the glittering world of football punditry, where Gary Lineker has long reigned as the silver-tongued king of the BBC’s Match of the Day, few expected the 64-year-old icon to drop a personal grenade that would leave fans and co-hosts alike in stitches – and speculation. But that’s exactly what happened on a recent episode of his hit podcast, The Rest is Football, when Lineker, ever the self-deprecating wit, unleashed a jaw-dropping quip about his sex life that’s sent social media into a frenzy. Nine years after his amicable divorce from second wife Danielle Bux – the Welsh model and actress whose sultry allure once turned heads on red carpets worldwide – Lineker admitted, with a rueful chuckle, that his bedroom exploits have been as dormant as a midweek friendly in February. “Sadly, that’s probably true,” he confessed to Alan Shearer after the former Newcastle legend cracked a sly innuendo about Lineker’s lack of “rides” since the split. The revelation? Lineker hasn’t been intimate with anyone in nearly a decade, a detail he delivered with the same unflappable charm that made him England’s penalty-missing hero at the 1990 World Cup.

For those tuning in, the moment unfolded innocently enough. The trio – Lineker, Shearer, and the ever-energetic Micah Richards – were bantering about Lineker’s weekend jaunt to Fulham’s Craven Cottage, where he opted for a humble Lime Bike to navigate London’s bustling streets. “It’s probably the first time you’ve had a ride in 15 years!” Shearer quipped, his Geordie drawl dripping with mischief, alluding to the vast chasm of time since Lineker’s last romantic encounter. The studio erupted in laughter, with Lineker conceding the barb hit home. It’s classic Lineker: turning vulnerability into viral gold. Fans flooded X (formerly Twitter) with memes and emojis, hailing the exchange as “peak lads’ banter” while others pondered the deeper implications. After all, this isn’t just idle chit-chat; it’s a window into the private world of a man who’s balanced global fame, four grown sons, and a £1.35 million BBC salary with an almost monastic dedication to singlehood.

Lineker’s romantic history reads like a blockbuster script – two marriages, both ending in heartbreak, yet laced with enduring affection. His first union, to childhood sweetheart Michelle Cockayne in 1986, produced sons George, Harry, Toby, and Angus, but crumbled under the strain of his jet-setting career. Cockayne cited “unreasonable behavior” in the 2006 divorce papers, though both insisted it was mutual and mess-free. Fast-forward to 2009, and enter Danielle Bux: 20 years his junior, a Bond girl lookalike with a modeling portfolio that screamed glamour. Their whirlwind romance – sparked at a charity event – culminated in a sun-drenched Italian wedding that same year, complete with ocean views and A-list guests. For seven years, they were the picture of post-football bliss: jetting between his £4 million Thames-side mansion in Barnes and her LA pad, co-parenting her daughter Ella from a previous relationship with the ease of old souls.

But whispers of trouble bubbled early. Insiders hinted at clashing visions for the future – Lineker, content with his brood of boys and firmly against expanding the family, versus Bux’s reported yearning for more children. The split, announced in 2016, was billed as “the end of a great love story,” with the pair vowing eternal friendship. True to form, they’ve since become the exes everyone envies: daily texts, shared holidays, and Bux crashing at Lineker’s London lair whenever she’s in town. Her current husband, Nate Green, a fitness guru, reportedly shrugs it off with a laugh – “He’s like family,” sources say. Yet, Lineker’s latest confession adds a tantalizing twist. Has his famously waning libido – a topic he’s broached before, telling The Times in 2021 that age has dimmed his “interest in intimacy” – been the silent saboteur all along? In a 2023 chat, he admitted to “the odd date here and there” but swore off anything serious, quipping, “I’ve been married most of my adult life – two really good ones. I’m comfortable on my own now.” Richards even floated matchmaking in April, only for Lineker to swat it away: “I’m alright, honestly.”

The irony isn’t lost on observers. The man who once embodied peak athletic virility – Leicester City’s goal machine, Tottenham’s talisman – now jokes about his celibate streak like it’s just another offside call. It’s sparked a wave of armchair psychology: Did the pressures of fame erode his spark? Or was it the soul-crushing toll of public scrutiny, where every dinner date becomes tabloid fodder? Social media sleuths are digging into archived interviews, resurfacing Lineker’s 2017 Match of the Day gaffe – a crude divorce-era pun that had viewers blushing. Others point to his post-retirement glow-up: ripped from home gym sessions, crisply suited on podcasts, yet resolutely solo. At 64, Lineker’s life is a masterclass in reinvention – charity campaigns for refugees, viral X rants on politics, and now, this unfiltered peek behind the curtain.

Yet beneath the laughs lies a poignant truth. Lineker’s candor humanizes him, stripping away the pundit’s polish to reveal a bloke who’s chosen solitude over settling. As he navigates empty-nest syndrome with sons forging their own paths – George in modeling, Harry in PR – his “same as always” stance on intimacy feels less like a punchline and more like quiet wisdom. It’s reignited curiosity about Bux, too: the raven-haired beauty who’s thrived post-split, starring in Hollywood flicks and wellness empires. Their enduring bond suggests the end wasn’t acrimony, but misalignment – perhaps that unspoken fade in passion was the final whistle.

In football and life, Lineker’s always played fair. This confession? It’s his boldest goal yet: proving that even legends can fumble the bedroom ball and still win the crowd. As The Rest is Football clips rack up millions of views, one thing’s clear – Gary’s not just talking sex; he’s scripting his next chapter, one cheeky revelation at a time. Will it lure him back to love’s pitch? Or is this celibate charm his forever formation? Only Lineker knows – and he’s not spilling just yet.