Former Strictly Come Dancing professional James Jordan has revealed he is in the midst of a midlife crisis, saying he is "struggling" with life at the moment. The 48-year-old recently announced his split from his wife Ola Jordan after almost 23 years of marriage.
Podcast launch and confession
Following the news, James has launched a new podcast with Brendan Cole titled Manopause and appeared on This Morning this week to promote it. In a trailer for the show, he opened up about his current state of mind.
"I'm going through a midlife crisis. The last few years, for me, have been really tough. I'm not afraid to admit it. I put my hands up and say I'm struggling with life at the minute," James said in the trailer shared on social media.
"So many different things, with career choices, waking up and not knowing [my] purpose, things like that," he continued. He added, promoting the show: "Manopause is for the middle-aged man that's struggling a little bit and hopefully we're going to be able to help ourselves and help you at the same time."
First TV appearance since split
The update came after his first television appearance since the split on This Morning. Speaking to presenters Craig Doyle and Angela Scanlon, James said: "I'm OK. It's been a tough few years and obviously myself and Ola, I've moved out a few months ago and it has been really tough."
He added: "I find it hard to talk about and I'm not going to speak about it too much because I don't think it's fair on her. The fact that she's not here as well to speak about it."
"I'm now sitting in a one-bedroom apartment on my own at night, watching TV, going 'What is going on?' But I just need that time to find myself again. People could say 'It's really selfish of you too...' but I just felt like I...yeah."
Joint statement on split
The couple shared a joint statement on their Instagram accounts, revealing they were "taking some time apart as we work through very difficult personal challenges." They added that their "shared priority" remained co-parenting their daughter, Ella.
"Our absolute priority, now and always, is our beautiful daughter Ella. She's at the centre of everything we do. We are committed to co-parenting her with all the love, care and stability she deserves," they said in their statement.
In the statement, James also spoke about his mental health: "Speaking personally (James) my mental health hasn't been in a good place for quite some time. I've been struggling more than I've let people see and I'm taking the time I need to focus on getting myself into a healthier place, both for myself and for Ella."
The post concluded: "We don't know exactly what the future holds. For now, we're taking things one day at a time, doing what we both believe is best for ourselves, our family and most importantly….. Ella. We're incredibly grateful for the love, kindness and concern so many of you have shown us over the years. You've been part of our journey for a long time and wanted to honour that with an honest update. Right now, more than anything we ask for kindness, empathy and a little privacy as we work through this as a family."
