‘I could have been a billionaire and still f***ed it up’: Jermaine Pennant reveals he frittered away over £10MILLION and even forgot he owned a HOUSE due to ADHD before bankruptcy
- The former footballer, 39, said he blew his fortune on dodgy investments
- Jermaine lost three houses and fell into bankruptcy due to his money problems
- The athlete said he was diagnosed with both ADHD and PTSD last year
- Jermaine’s ADHD meant he forgot he owned a £1.2m house in Cheshire
- The former Arsenal player said he regrets his past behaviour with money
Jermaine Pennant has revealed he lost more than £10million in earnings and even forget he owned a house due to having ADHD.
The former footballer, 39, who described himself as ‘financially illiterate’, said he blew his fortune on dodgy investments and bad actors who targeted him.
Speaking to The Sun, Jermaine also told how he went on to lose three houses and fell into bankruptcy due to his money problems.
Candid: Jermaine Pennant has revealed he lost more than £10million in earnings and even forget he owned a house due to having ADHD
He said: ‘In all honesty, I could have been a billionaire and still f***ed it up. I have made so many mistakes but I did not know how to deal with things and would not think of the consequences of my actions.’
Jermaine revealed he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder last year along with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) linked to childhood trauma.
The athlete’s ADHD meant he forgot he owned a house in Cheshire after leaving Liverpool for Spanish side Real Zaragoza.
However, he was still paying the interest only mortgage on the £1.2million property which he reportedly bought on the advice of a fixer, who he says swindled him.
Struggles: The former footballer, 39, who described himself as ‘financially illiterate’, said he blew his fortune on dodgy investments and bad actors who targeted him (pictured with girlfriend Jess Impiazzi in November 2022)
ADHD is a behavioural condition defined by inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness.
Symptoms typically appear at an early age and become more noticeable as a child grows.
The majority of cases are diagnosed in children under the age of 12 but some people are not diagnosed until adulthood.
According to the NHS, the causes of ADHD are not known but the condition has been shown to run in families.
Jermaine said: ‘In all honesty, I could have been a billionaire and still f***ed it up’
PTSD is an anxiety disorder caused by very stressful, frightening or distressing events.
People with PTSD often suffer nightmares and flashbacks to the traumatic event and can experience insomnia and an inability to concentrate.
Jermaine also detailed his lavish spending, saying he would think nothing of splashing the cash on nights out and once paid a £25,000 bar bill for his friends during a trip to Las Vegas.
The footballer, who lives in Surrey with his girlfriend Jess Impiazzi, was declared bankrupt at the start of this year with debts of more than £1million.
WHAT IS ADHD?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a behavioural condition defined by inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness.
It affects around five per cent of children in the US. Some 3.6 per cent of boys and 0.85 per cent of girls suffer in the UK.
Symptoms typically appear at an early age and become more noticeable as a child grows. These can also include:
- Constant fidgeting
- Poor concentration
- Excessive movement or talking
- Acting without thinking
- Little or no sense of danger
- Careless mistakes
- Forgetfulness
- Difficulty organising tasks
- Inability to listen or carry out instructions
Most cases are diagnosed between six and 12 years old. Adults can also suffer, but there is less research into this.
ADHD’s exact cause is unclear but is thought to involve genetic mutations that affect a person’s brain function and structure.
Premature babies and those with epilepsy or brain damage are more at risk.
ADHD is also linked to anxiety, depression, insomnia, Tourette’s and epilepsy.
There is no cure.
A combination of medication and therapy is usually recommended to relieve symptoms and make day-to-day life easier.
Source: NHS Choices
He added: ‘I have made so many mistakes but I did not know how to deal with things and would not think of the consequences of my actions’ (pictured playing for Arsenal in 2000)
Jermaine was also hit with a tax bill of more than £1million in 2018 which he said he has disputed and still doesn’t know what it’s for.
He said: ‘That is the thing that led to the bankruptcy more than anything else. I had no idea what I was earning and what was coming out of my account.’
Jermaine said he regrets his past behaviour with money and advises younger players not to make the same mistakes.
Nottingham-born Jermaine burst on to the scene as a teenager and became a £2million signing at just 15, making his debut for Arsenal as a 16-year-old.
Past: The star said his biggest regret was being jailed for three months in 2005 for drink driving (pictured in 2005)
Tag: After 30 days in prison he was released and his club Birmingham City stood by him. He became the first player to play in the Premier League with an electronic tag on his ankle
He scored a hat-trick on his full Premier League debut aged 20. He later admitted he was out partying until 6am on the day of the game and won the match for his team hungover.
Despite his extraordinary start, he only made five full starts for Arsenal in seven years, and was shipped out on loan to various clubs where his personal problems continued.
In 2005, he was jailed for three months for drink driving while disqualified after crashing his friend’s Mercedes into a lamppost.
After 30 days in prison he was released and his club Birmingham City stood by him. He became the first player to play in the Premier League with an electronic tag on his ankle.
His football career continued with a big money move to Liverpool, earning him even more cash and even a Champions’ League winners medal before falling out of favour.
Condition: Jermaine revealed he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder last year along with post traumatic stress disorder linked to childhood trauma
On one highly paid spell at Real Zaragoza in Spain, he forgot he had a Porsche, leaving it with a key on the seat outside a station.
After the penny dropped he picked it up later with five months of parking tickets to pay.
After retirement from football, he earned cash on the last series of Celebrity Big Brother and media commitments, including one occasion where he was accused of being drunk on Sky Sports News.
Jermaine’s media company Jermaine Pennant Ltd, which was set up following his TV appearances on shows such as Celebrity Big Brother, was dissolved in 2020.
Property: The athlete’s ADHD meant he forgot he owned a house in Cheshire after leaving Liverpool for Spanish side Real Zaragoza
In his 2018 autobiography, Mental: Bad Behaviour, Ugly Truths and the Beautiful Game, Jermaine made several confessions including that his dog killed his ex-girlfriend Jennifer Metcalfe’s cat.
He also told how he and former Arsenal and Chelsea Defender Ashley Cole had threesomes with girls.
Jermaine insisted he now regrets writing the book and said it was another case of taking bad advice and not thinking of the consequences due to his ADHD.
The star said his biggest regret was being jailed for three months in 2005 for drink driving while banned after crashing into a lamppost while more than twice the legal limit, and driving off with the post dragging underneath his car.
What is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder caused by very stressful, frightening or distressing events.
People with PTSD often suffer nightmares and flashbacks to the traumatic event and can experience insomnia and an inability to concentrate.
Symptoms are often severe enough to have a serious impact on the person’s day-to-day life, and can emerge straight after the traumatic event or years later.
PTSD is thought to affect about one in every three people who have a traumatic experience, and was first documented in the First World War in soldiers with shell shock.
People who are worried they have PTSD should visit their GP, who could recommend a course of psychotherapy or anti-depressants, the NHS say.
Combat Stress operate a 24-hour helpline for veterans, which can be reached on 0800 138 1619.
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