Strictly Come Dancing star James Jordan has admitted he is "scared" about his future in a candid admission about his career. The 48-year-old dancer recently announced that he and his long-term wife, Ola Jordan, had split after almost 23 years of marriage.
During his first television appearance since the split on This Morning this week, James issued an update, telling viewers he was living alone in a one-bedroom flat after what had been a "tough" few months.
Podcast Launch and Financial Pressures
James appeared on the ITV programme alongside Brendan Cole, with the pair having recently launched their new podcast, Manopause. In the first episode, the duo touched on a number of topics, including financial pressures that come with being a dancer, particularly in their 40s.
James said: "When I have those quiet periods and I wake up in the morning and I have nothing to do, I find that really difficult. And at some point, it's all going to dry up because, yeah we're still touring, I'm 48, how many more years can I dance for?"
Joking Exchange and Identity Concerns
After Brendan joked that there was probably "one year" left for James in the dancing world, his co-star replied: "Exactly, this is probably going to be my last year." "With the way you're falling apart," Brendan jokingly chimed in. "You need to watch yourself dance back mate on camera," his co-star hit back, before continuing: "But yeah I don't know, I sometimes wake up and think who am I now? If I haven't got my dance shoes on and my sequin top, who am I?"
After Brendan claimed that "men in particular feel" a certain pressure to provide financially, James pointed out that it came down to having more priorities to worry about, such as their families.
Co-Parenting and Mental Health
James shares a six-year-old daughter, Ella, with his wife Ola, whom he married in 2003. Since their split, they revealed they are co-parenting amicably while adapting to living separately.
Addressing their split earlier this month, the former Dancing on Ice star said as part of a lengthy statement: "At the moment we're taking some time apart as we work through very difficult personal challenges. I moved out of the family home some time ago. This has been an incredibly painful and emotional journey for us both and it certainly wasn't an easy decision."
He went on to say: "Our absolute priority, now and always, is our beautiful daughter Ella. She's at the centre of"
James continued: "Speaking personally, 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."
