Gary Lineker reveals his one major regret in love life admission

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Gary Lineker says he wishes he had learned to cook before the end of his marriage. The former England striker, who has been single for nearly a decade following his 2016 divorce from Welsh model Danielle Bux , admitted he relied heavily on takeaways and solo meals out after the split.

Now living alone, Lineker has finally developed his culinary skills - a change he admits was long overdue. "My one real regret in life is that I didn't learn to cook earlier," he told the Irish Independent . "After I became single nine years ago, I ate takeaways or sat in restaurants by myself."

It's perhaps understandable that Lineker, like many professional footballers, didn't prioritise cooking earlier in life. Players often start their careers as teenagers, with intense training schedules and club-provided meals leaving little need - or time - to develop cooking skills.

At home, partners or family often handle meal prep and the constant travel during a career adds another layer of complexity.

Since retiring from football, Lineker has built a high-profile media career, which involves frequent travel, irregular hours and late-night commitments - all factors that make consistent cooking a challenge.

Despite this, he has now embraced the kitchen, taking pleasure in preparing meals for himself. He has even picked up recipes from Spain and Japan - cuisines he enjoyed while playing for Barcelona and Nagoya Grampus Eight in the early 1990s - and sometimes cooks for The Rest is Football podcast crew when recording at home.

Lineker was married twice, first to Michelle Cockayne, the mother of his four children. They tied the knot in 1986 at the height of Lineker's football career before splitting up in 2006.

In 2009, Lineker married Bux, but the couple split seven years later, reportedly over Gary's reluctance to have more children. When asked if he was open to dating again, Lineker's response was decidedly blunt.

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"No, can't be arsed," he said. "I'm so comfortable with how I live now: not answerable to anyone, not even the BBC . I'm very kind of stuck in my ways. I love women's company. I've got a lot of female friends, genuinely just friends and I go out to dinner or cook for them, but I just can't see myself dating again.

"I've had two amazing marriages and I'm still friendly with both exes. Danielle is probably my best friend and it's much better that way than being married."

Lineker's 26-year spell with the BBC came to an abrupt end earlier this year. In November 2024, he announced he'd be stepping down as Match of the Day host at the end of the 2024/25 football season.

The plan was for Lineker to remain with the BBC until the end of the 2026 World Cup, but the Leicester-born broadcaster was axed by the company in May after sharing a post on social media that contained antisemitic imagery .

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Now fully focused on his Goalhanger Podcasts company - which produces The Rest is History, The Rest is Politics, The Rest is Entertainment and The Rest is Football , in which he stars - Lineker says he is glad not to be "treading on eggshells" anymore.

"In hindsight, it [no longer working at the BBC] is great," he said. "I don't have to tread on eggshells any more. I get on with my life. I was going to finish on the World Cup on BBC so that's the only thing. And actually, now I'm free to do what I want at the World Cup, which I think is great because we'll do a podcast every day."

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.