Gary Lineker, the former England striker and long-standing BBC presenter, has recently ended his 26-year tenure with the broadcaster's flagship program, Match of the Day.
His departure followed a controversy surrounding a social media post that included imagery perceived as antisemitic. Lineker issued an apology, stating he was unaware of the offensive nature of the content, but the incident led to his early exit from the broadcaster.
Away from his professional endeavours, Lineker's personal life continues to garner public interest. He shares four sons — George, Harry, Tobias, and Angus — with his first wife, Michelle Cockayne. The couple divorced in 2006 after 20 years of marriage. Lineker later married model Danielle Bux in 2009, but the pair amicably separated in 2016, citing differing views on expanding their family.
But despite his stellar career, the star's four sons have decided against following in their famous father's footsteps. Here's everything you need to know about the 64-year-old's sons and his decision not to have more children, and in the video below you can see Gary and his sons celebrating a little bit of sporting success…
Who are Gary Lineker's children?
Gary and his first wife Michelle Cockayne tied the knot back in 1986 and went on to welcome four boys. Joking about following in Gary's footsteps, oldest son George once told The Sun newspaper that he was "useless" at the sport. Gary is also a father to Harry, Tobias and Angus. Find out all you need to know about the foursome below...
George Lineker, 33
© Karwai TangGeorge is Gary's oldest son and is the co-founder of Your Business Number, which provides business numbers to entrepreneurs. The firm launched in 2023, and proud dad Gary was one of his son's backers, although George joked: "I didn't originally want him to invest, because of the backlash you get from it."
George was seriously ill as a baby with acute myeloid leukaemia, a rare form of blood cancer, and was given just a 10 to 20 per cent chance of survival. The Match of the Day presenter went on to star in a nationwide campaign to encourage people to donate blood as blood transfusions helped to save the youngster's life.
Harry Lineker, 31
© Tom DulatHarry is Gary's second eldest son and works at his father's production company, Goalhanger Films Ltd, which specialises in sporting documentaries. In 2022, Harry was injured in his line of work after a fan-led riot broke out at a match between Sierra Leone and Liberia, which he was filming at.
Harry currently lives in London with his partner, Annabelle.
Tobias Lineker, 29
© Karwai TangTobias is every bit as much as a globetrotter as his dad, although instead of playing football he's actually a successful DJ, and was at one point the resident DJ at Raffles, an exclusive London nightclub that counted King Charles as a member in his younger days.
Angus Lineker, 27
© Tom DulatAngus is Gary's youngest son, and like his eldest brother, he's entered the business world, becoming a successful business development manager. His LinkedIn profile lists him as working for insurance company Rokstone Underwriting, which is based in London.
Stepchildren
© Dave M. BenettGary married second wife and model Danielle Bux in 2009 becoming stepdad to her daughter, Ella. The former couple divorced in 2016, with Gary candidly admitting that it was because he didn't want any more children.
Sweetly, though, he still considers Ella his stepdaughter and keeps in close contact with her. After lockdown restrictions were lifted, he expressed his delight at being able to travel to Boston to see Ella, calling her "my wonderful stepdaughter". Danielle went on to give birth to daughter Romy, five, who she shares with her new husband, Nate Greenwald.
Future marriages or children
"My second marriage with Danielle, that was purely a thing about children and change," he commented on an episode of the podcast High Performance.
In 2022, Gary told The Times that he had no interest in marrying again at present. The star opened up: "It's nice to be unanswerable in a slightly selfish way and I'm not actively seeking a partner right now. I had two wonderful marriages and now I'm single and I'm in a good place, but that might change."
