Gary Lineker is hosting hit new ITV game show, The Box, which started this weekend17:03, 06 Sep 2026Gary Lineker once made a heartbreaking admission about his personal life.‌The sports star and presenter, 65, is hosting the thrilling new ITV game show The Box, where ten celebrities are plunged into the unknown. However, away from his hectic and busy career, Gary once admitted he wished he had mastered cooking before his marriage ended.‌The former England striker, who has remained single for nearly a decade since his 2016 divorce from Welsh model Danielle Bux, confessed he depended heavily on takeaways and dining alone following the separation.‌Now residing by himself, Gary has finally mastered his kitchen abilities - a transformation he acknowledges came far too late. "My one real regret in life is that I didn't learn to cook earlier," he told the Irish Independent back in 2025."After I became single nine years ago, I ate takeaways or sat in restaurants by myself."‌Gary has been married twice, first to Michelle Cockayne, the mother of his four children. They wed in 1986 at the peak of his footballing career before parting ways in 2006.In 2009, Gary married Danielle, though the relationship ended seven years later in 2016. When questioned about whether he'd consider dating again, Gary's answer was refreshingly candid during the same interview."No, can't be a***d," he confessed. "I'm so comfortable with how I live now: not answerable to anyone, not even the BBC. I'm very kind of stuck in my ways. I love women's company. I've got a lot of female friends, genuinely just friends and I go out to dinner or cook for them, but I just can't see myself dating again.‌"I've had two amazing marriages and I'm still friendly with both exes. Danielle is probably my best friend and it's much better that way than being married."It comes as Gary recently told Davina McCall on her Begin Again podcast: "I'm single [for] quite a few years now. I dated for a while about three or four years ago and not since."Article continues belowHe added: "I've just got so comfortable being on my own. In the sense I'm not sure I could imagine regularly sleeping with someone again or not that you have to, sharing a bed. As you get older you tend to make a few more bathroom trips in the night and stuff like that."Gary also admitted he couldn't imagine going on dating apps, although he added: "I'm not ruling anything out. Who knows what might happen.'"The Box launches on Saturday 5th September, with Episode 2 airing on Sunday 6th September, on ITV1, ITVX, STV & STV Player.