Inside Gary Lineker’s stylish home with plush velvet sofas, stunning art and cute dog amid Match Of The Day suspension
MATCH Of The Day anchor Gary Lineker’s stylish home life at his £4million Surrey mansion has been revealed following his suspension by the BBC.
The broadcaster temporarily pulled sports pundit Gary, 62, from his Match Of The Day hosting role on Friday after he sparked a major backlash when he took to Twitter to hit out at the Government’s Illegal Migration Bill.
Since then, a host of his colleagues including s Alan Shearer and Ian Wright revealed they were refusing to star on the sporting show.
This prompted similar reactions from the BBC Football Focus team, which is today being scrapped – and replaced with fan-favourite series Bargain Hunt.
The former England star’s home life came under the spotlight back in 2020 when he invited a refugee to live in one of the five bedrooms of his mansion.
Yet his Instagram page gives a glimpse into the cozy pad, adorned with trendy touches.
One image sees Gary preparing for a Zoom call while perched on a turquoise-coloured sofa, accentuated with mustard-shade cushions.
Behind him a piece of modern art sits on the wall, featuring speckles of gold, grey and blue and positioned next to a gold lamp.
In another room adorned with football shirts on the wall, Gary’s rescue dog Filbert – who he welcomed into the fold last year – can be seen fast asleep on a red sofa.
Meanwhile, in a separate living space, a similar piece of brush-stroke art painted on canvas fills the wall.
It sits above a chic white marble cabinet, with coffee table books seen perched on the side.
Another space – which the pundit appears to use for family gathering – has a classic touch with exposed wooden floorboards.
There’s a red and white rug thrown over the floor while a huge glass light fitting adds a modern edge.
The walls are painted a fresh green which allows the room to flow easily through the patio door to the garden outside.
Gary is often seen celebrating his son’s birthday’s in the space, as well as playing host to his pals in his garden, which boasts a wooden dining table.
Meanwhile, Gary, who has fronted MOTD since 1999, has been suspended from his presenting duties after previously saying he would face no disciplinary action.
A BBC statement said: “The BBC has been in extensive discussions with Gary and his team in recent days. We have said that we consider his recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines.
“The BBC has decided that he will step back from presenting Match of the Day until we’ve got an agreed and clear position on his use of social media.
“When it comes to leading our football and sports coverage, Gary is second to none.
“We have never said that Gary should be an opinion free zone, or that he can’t have a view on issues that matter to him, but we have said that he should keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies.”
A spokesperson added that the Beeb considered Gary’s “recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines” and that he should “keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies”.
The row ignited after Gary tweeted in reference to the Government’s new immigration bill, saying: “Good heavens, this is beyond awful.”
Responding to another user who described him as “out of order”, he added: “We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries.
“This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the ’30s, and I’m out of order?”