The BBC has been hailed for "acting swiftly" amid their latest presenter scandal, as Jermaine Jenas is planning to "sue" the broadcaster for sacking him, it has been claimed.
The former Match of the Day and The One Show presenter was dropped by the BBC following an investigation into "inappropriate messages" shared by Jenas.
In an interview with The Sun, the star admitted he was "ashamed" of what he had done, but insisted he did "nothing illegal" and the exchanges were between "two consenting adults".
He added: "I have let myself down, my family, friends and colleagues down, and I owe everyone an apology — especially the women with whom I was messaging. I am so, so sorry."
The BBC have been praised for 'acting swiftly' with Jermaine Jenas after the presenter became the centre of the broadcaster's latest scandal
Getty / GB News
Discussing the fallout of the scandal on GB News, former head of religion and ethics at the BBC, Aaqil Ahmed, claimed that the broadcaster has "learnt its lesson" after previous historic scandals.
Ahmed said: "We don't know enough about this, but what they have done is they've acted swiftly, and one can only presume that it was sacking somebody who was on a fast track. This is not some backroom boy that they could hush things up.
"They have sacked somebody high profile knowing that there would be scrutiny. You've got to have done your homework and they've got to have taken legal advice. You would imagine that lessons have been learned, and that's why they're acting decisively."
In slight disagreement with Ahmed's remarks, host Dawn Neesom argued that the broadcaster claimed "lessons had been learned after Jimmy Savile and Huw Edwards".
Jenas has admitted that he is 'ashamed' of what he has done and apologised to the women involved
Getty
Dawn pressed Ahmed: "There are some that are criticising the BBC for basically covering up a lot of things that have gone on in the past, and that is why they have literally reacted to this story within three days of it breaking."
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Ahmed affirmed his defence of the BBC, responding: "I think that might be a little bit unfair because there are huge distances between all of these stories. We're talking decades in between some of these particular stories.
"We have to be clear about this as well - Jermaine Jenas is saying that nothing illegal has taken place. And actually what we're talking about here are some inappropriate text conversations with what he says is with consenting adults."
He continued: "So in that sense we have to distance that kind of aspect of it to the Huw Edwards story and other kind of stories."
When asked what the next steps are for both Jenas and the BBC amid reports that the sacked presenter may sue the company, Ahmed noted that Jenas should "prove himself innocent" if he believes he is.
Ahmed claimed that the BBC wouldn't have acted so swiftly against Jenas 'without the right evidence'
GB News
Ahmed told GB News: "The fact of the matter is the BBC have acted swiftly on this. It probably was a lot easier to deal with, there was a lot more information, it was a lot more simpler.
"And effectively what Jermaine now has to do is obviously if he is innocent, he can prove himself innocent. He's actually said that he hasn't committed any crime, but what he has done is actually let his family down, let himself down, let a lot of people down with regards to his behaviour.
"And what he's got to do now is look at what that means for him. He's talked about bigger issues relating to it, but in regards to the BBC, there's no way you do this without feeling that you have the evidence."