Before reading this story, I had no idea who this guy Jason Manford was. Even though Manford isn’t well known outside of England, this is an interesting story featuring a mea culpa by a public figure with some pretty gossip-worthy details. Manford, 29, is a comedian and now-former co-host of BBC1 program The One Show, which is described as an evening “topical magazine-style” show.

The British tabloid press has recently called the guy out for engaging in online affairs while away from his now eight months’ pregnant wife, who is also raising their twin 15 month-old daughters. When news of Manford’s online affairs started to come out, he first admitted to sending sexy messages to a woman on Twitter and asking her for nude pics. Now he’s owning up to the extent of it. His wife has apparently agreed to forgive him, for now. Manford has admitted to 12 different online “affairs” both through inappropriate messages on Twitter and what sounds like webcam sex over Skype. He claims that he was addicted to Twitter, where he 200,000 followers, and that he met female fans there with whom he engaged in sexting and Skyping. Manford has since deleted his Twitter account. (Here’s the cache)

While it’s hard to tell in print, the guy sounds genuinely sorry (that he got caught.) Here’s some of what he told The Sun:

TEARFUL telly host Jason Manford quit BBC1’s The One Show last night after admitting internet sex sessions with 12 girl fans.

Manford, 29, said: “I have only myself to blame. I have never felt so low.”

The comedian revealed he had betrayed his wife with steamy chats to 12 girls on Twitter and video calls on Skype.

He announced his decision to leave the 7pm BBC1 show in a statement, saying: “I have decided after careful consideration to stand back from The One Show to concentrate on my family.”

peaking of his web shame, Jason told The Sun: “If I was reading this about someone else, I’d think, ‘What an a***hole. How can he look at himself in the mirror?'”

He revealed he had spent hours in hotel rooms in conversation with scantily-clad female fans.

The Mancunian decided to own up three weeks before his wife Catherine is due to give birth to their third child. The couple have twin daughters aged one.

He said: “There were ten or 12 people flirting and then with a few it went over the line.

“We would start off flirty, then innuendo and then a bit saucy. They were the moments I thought, ‘I shouldn’t be saying that’.

“It was just nice to have some interaction I suppose. But the next morning I would wake up and think, ‘F***. Oh my God’.

“I don’t drink or do drugs, so it’s not like I’ve those to blame – just my own stupidity.”

Jason married long-term girlfriend Catherine last year. She is eight months pregnant.

He has made a full confession to her about his sex tweets to Debra McNamee, 22 – revealed by The Sun two weeks ago – and all the girls he has been online with.

Trying to make sense of his behaviour, he said tearfully: “I think it was because there was a danger to it. The fundamental thing is, I was a d***head. My wife has called me a d***head.

“We have had a serious sit-down about it and agreed that what we’ve got is worth fighting for. She’s fine and we’re fine.

“The kids are fine. We’ve got another one in three weeks. She hasn’t kicked me out.

“I held my hands up. I showed her all the messages. I said, ‘This is what’s happened’ and she was disappointed. But the relationship we have is not about, ‘Right, get out!’ or ‘You’re on the couch’.

“I don’t feel any less of a dad but I still feel I’ve let them down. I just hope they never find out. I hope we can move on.

“My wife texted me today to say, ‘Me and you are fine. We are dealing with it’. I am upset that I have disappointed people. Everyone makes mistakes.”

Jason went on: “The mad thing was, when I was chatting there were messages I knew went too far. They weren’t just flirty. I just didn’t think. I can’t even describe it. It’s such a weird world online. People throw themselves at you.

“I had this ridiculous few days – what the hell was I doing? There were a couple who said, ‘Let’s meet’ and ‘Let’s do that’. That was a wake-up call. I thought, hold on a minute. That was a point where maybe I annoyed them and off they went.”
Jason confessed to gaining sexual satisfaction during sessions in his hotel rooms on Skype – a live video link online – with women.

He said: “I went on Skype with a few girls. They also sent pictures on Twitter.

“It all happened on tour. It’s boredom and loneliness. It was a few weeks back and I was in a hotel and a couple of them went too far.”

[From The Sun]

It goes on, and you get the impression that he feels like a fool and wants everyone to feel sorry for him despite the fact that he probably did this with many women online. So is it cheating to have online sex with strangers? It’s certainly different than sexting with someone you know, even if you claim not to be sleeping with them. (Yeah, right.) This guy looks like a total dork, though. He’s probably never had women fawn over him and thought it was “safe” to get up to something online instead of in person.

Photos are from March and April, 2010. Credit: WENN.com