Speaking publicly during a television appearance on ITV’s Good Morning BritainJenas laid bare the devastating consequences the scandal had on his professional life and his family structure, while acknowledging his abuse of power.
He said: “I’ve lost everything essentially – my job, my family, everything was taken away from me. It’s not for me to decide the punishment, but that’s what happens. But my feelings aside, I was thinking about my children, I was thinking about Ellie and what I put her through. It was hard for me, and it has been hard for them, and it continues to be hard for them, and I think that that’s where I had to put most of my attention at that particular time to try and do what I could to protect them.”
When pressed on whether a direct apology had been issued to the recipients of his messages, Jenas maintained that he had taken accountability from the outset, adding: “I’ve always apologised. I’ve always apologised to everybody that was involved in it, whether it was the women who I was messaging and that was messaging me.
“In terms of being able to sit in front of them, I wasn’t given the opportunity to sit in front of anybody and really apologise to anybody, and that’s fine, there is a duty of care around the whole situation.
“I was in a position of power in my role, in my job, and it was something that I shouldn’t have been doing, but also this was a marital thing also. And more than anything, I needed to apologise to my wife over everything.”
