Gary Lineker reveals he is to become a grandfather for the first time
By Casey Cooper-Fiske, Press Association Senior Entertainment Reporter
Former Match Of The Day presenter Gary Lineker has revealed he is to become a grandfather for the first time.
The 65-year-old revealed the news while speaking to TV chef Gordon Ramsay on the World Cup TV show version of The Rest Is Football podcast on Netflix.
Lineker told Ramsay, who was speaking about his youth: “We’ve got one other thing in common, we’re both about to be grandparents for the first time.”
Ramsay replied: “How exciting is that?”
To which the former England striker said: “You’ve got little kids anyway haven’t you, but it is different when you can give them back, I think.”
Ramsay said he was “secretly petrified” of becoming a grandfather as he “couldn’t do much” until his grandchild could speak, adding: “We’re not going to f****** breastfeed are we?”
Lineker shares four sons with his first wife Michelle Cockayne in George, Harry, Tobias, and Angus.
Last weekend, Ramsay’s daughter Holly Ramsay Peaty announced she is expecting a baby with her husband, Olympic swimmer Adam Ramsay Peaty in a post on Instagram.
It comes after Lineker appeared briefly as a presenter on ITV’s coverage of Germany against Ivory Coast, where he thanked viewers for tuning in and said it was “another day, another game, another channel”, before being interrupted by the show’s actual presenter Laura Woods.
He also appeared to make a dig at his former employer, the BBC, which has drawn criticism for not having a studio in one of the host countries, the US, Canada and Mexico, at the World Cup so far.
Lineker said: “I have been doing a show daily for Netflix, we’re Times Square but I did desperately want to come and see your set.
“I think it’s absolutely amazing and I can confirm that it is real. What a backdrop.”
Lineker will present ITV game show The Box later this year, having stepped down from his role at the BBC in May last year following criticism over him airing his political opinions on social media.
His departure came after a row following an Instagram post he made about Zionism, which featured a depiction of a rat, historically an antisemitic insult.
The sports broadcaster apologised for the post, adding that he did not see the rat visual and that he did not think “anyone actually believes I would’ve posted that”.
