Gary Lineker has shared a humorous yet painful experience from his time at Wimbledon, sitting next to former heavyweight boxing champ Anthony Joshua. The former footballer, who recently bid farewell to the BBC, was enjoying the tennis action with his son, Angus, but things got a little uncomfortable due to Joshua's impressive stature.

Speaking on The Rest Is Football with Alan Shearer, Micah Richards and Alex Aljoe, Lineker said: "I went to Wimbledon the other day. I just want to thank Wimbledon for inviting me, it was lovely. I took my youngest, Angus, and we sat next to Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn and we had a laugh watching some great tennis."

Richards then chimed in, saying: "Can I just say, you were looking marvellous," leading Shearer to quip: "Micah, he was looking marvellous until you looked to his left and saw Anthony Joshua," which set off a round of laughter.

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Lineker then continued with his tale, explaining the seating arrangement with Joshua, adding: "I was sitting in the seats next to Anthony, and he's obviously huge. His legs... and the only way he sits, because there wasn't enough room, was he had his legs wide open.

"And I was forced, for like seven hours, whatever it was, to put my legs to the... it got to the stage where I was getting cramp in my inside thigh so badly. And the game was going on and I wanted to shout.

"But I never had the balls, at any point, to tell him, 'Will you f***ing move your legs over a little bit, give me some room?' Absolutely true. But he's a lovely, lovely guy and I had a laugh with him. And they were great company for the afternoon."

Injecting more wit into the story, Richards said: "Angus is a good-looking boy as well though, isn't he? Angus was looking cool, he was," which prompted a deadpan Shearer to say: "He's got his mum's looks, obviously," setting off more laughter.

It marks Lineker's first time back at a BBC event since his departure from Match of the Day and the organisation in May. Lineker previously said that the 2024/25 season would mark his final stint on the BBC's leading football highlights programme, even though he intended to remain involved in FA Cup and 2026 World Cup broadcasts.

Yet, plans changed when Lineker became entangled in a controversy concerning anti-Semitism on social media, after sharing a post concerning Zionism that depicted a rat - a symbol historically utilised for anti-Semitic purposes by Nazi Germany.

Lineker later admitted that while he hadn't noticed the emoji, he should have taken greater care before sharing the content, concluding that ending ties with the BBC was the appropriate decision. In an emotional statement at the time, he said: "Football has been at the heart of my life for as long as I can remember - both on the pitch and in the studio.

"I care deeply about the game, and about the work I've done with the BBC over many years. As I've said, I would never consciously repost anything anti-Semitic - it goes against everything I stand for.

"However, I recognise the error and upset that I caused, and reiterate how sorry I am. Stepping back now feels like the responsible course of action."

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