GARY LINEKER
AS ONE of TV’s most affable and popular presenters, it’s hard to imagine Gary Lineker sitting alone in a restaurant night after night.
But that’s exactly what happened when the football pundit found himself single.
So the dad-of-four did learned to cook – though he says he won’t be seen on MasterChef any time soon.
“I started cooking when I became single again,” says Gary, who split from second wife Danielle Bux in 2016. He was married to first wife Michelle from 1986 to 2006.
“I got fed up of sitting in restaurants on my own or getting takeaways and I thought I’ll just learn to cook.
I’ve been asked to do cookbooks, I’ve been offered cooking shows... I’d feel like a fraud GARY LINEKER IS IN GREAT DEMAND AFTER DEVELOPING A LOVE OF COOKING
“I love it now. I’ll do anything: Indian, Chinese, Italian, English. I’ve studied it as well, online and reading books. I’ve worked hard, it’s become a real passion.”
While he’s tried his hand at a lots of things – he’ll even take a turn as a quiz show host later this year with upcoming ITV show Sitting on a Fortune – Gary says a career as a celebrity chef isn’t something he fancies.
“No,” he says. “I’ve been asked to do cookbooks, I’ve been offered TV cooking shows, but I’d feel like a fraud.
“It would be like someone who has taken up football later in life and thinks he’s all right, but compared to the Michelin star guys? No. I don’t want to be a TV chef !”
Gary says he’s “happy and relaxed” being single, laughing: “I’m not on the look-out like some weirdo!”
With all he’s achieved, even a reputation as an amicable ex, Gary insists there are some things he’s “really, really c**p at” though explains what he’s got in bucketloads is the ability to cope under pressure.
“I don’t get nervous,” he said. “OK, I get nervous maybe watching Leicester City or England play, but as for being nervous myself when I’m on television or when I played football? No.
“Genuinely, I just loved it. I love the big moment. We’re all different and mental strength was definitely my biggest asset. I could deal with pressure.”
It explains a lot. One of England’s greatest scorers of all time, Gary netted 48 goals during his eight-year international career. Only Wayne Rooney and Bobby Charlton scored more for their country.
If that wasn’t enough, he earned a squeaky-clean reputation through his 17 years in the English leagues – he was never sent off and never booked.
And while the million-dollar smile might make it seem like Gary hasn’t a care in the world, he says there’s one concern he and other footballers of his generation can’t ignore – the potential for serious health problems that could be waiting in the wings. Research suggests a link between footballers heading the ball and neurodegenerative disorders. Studies on dementia show ex-players are 3.5 times more likely to die from the illness than the general population. Ex-footballers Denis Law and Terry McDermott’s dementia diagnoses were confirmed publicly, and Gary was among 60 former players calling on football authorities to provide financial support for those diagnosed with neurodegenerative diseases. “I think it’s a concern for most