'I NEVER EXPECTED TO BE A FASHION MODEL AT THE GRAND OLD AGE OF 62'

FOOTBALLER-TURNED-PUNDIT GARY LINEKER ON HIS FASHION REGRETS, HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH RYAN REYNOLDS AND WHY IT’S BEST NOT TO CARE WHAT PEOPLE THINK

- HARRIET WHEELER

Since swapping the football pitch for the Match Of The Day studio, Gary Lineker has become a fashion icon in his own way and is almost as famous for his crisp shirts and stylish spectacles as his punditry. However, his style hasn’t always been this sharp.

The 62-year-old is still ripped by friends about fashion disasters from his footballer days, and he cringes about the time he had a “hellish” shell suit range to his name.

Today, he’s fronting a new collection for Next, but in classic Lineker style he’s needed a fair few assists to score those fashion goals. “There was a lot of help,” he confesses. “I’m not necessarily brilliant at putting things together. At least it makes it easier to get dressed for events now. I’ve got all these pictures so I can remember what goes with what.”

The star has, of course, been in the headlines for more than his fashion choices recently. He caused a stir with his tweet criticising the government’s asylum policy and was suspended from the BBC very briefly before returning in triumph, following a mass walk-out by his supportive colleagues.

Here, we talk to Gary about his thoughts on that controversy, the one TV show you’ll never see him appear on and the most starstruck he’s ever felt...

How do you deal with the negativity of social media and being in the public eye?