Former Strictly Come Dancing professional James Jordan has spoken about his split from his wife Ola in his first TV interview since the announcement, as his former co-star Brendan Cole admitted he was checking in on him 'every day'.
James Jordan appears on This Morning
The professional dancers first met in 1999 at a dance competition in Blackpool, before officially starting to date in 2000. They married in 2003 and welcomed their daughter Ella, conceived through IVF in 2020 after a three-year fertility struggle.
Last week, it was confirmed that the couple have separated after 22 years of marriage, with their separation being 'trialed' some time ago. After a statement was released by their manager, James and Ola issued their own comment on Instagram, adding that they are working through 'very difficult personal challenges', and James moved out of the family home some time ago.
James says he is trying to 'find myself again'
James appeared on This Morning alongside fellow former Strictly pro Brendan Cole on Wednesday (August 19) to discuss their new Manopause podcast. James said they 'don't speak too much about' the split on the podcast as it was filmed before the news went public.
Speaking to hosts Craig Doyle and Angela Scanlon, James said: 'I'm OK, it's been a tough few years, and I moved out a few months ago. 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.'
After Brendan commented that he had 'been checking in on him every day', Angela asked if 'friends checking in is helping'. James replied: 'Definitely. I think knowing that people are out there who you can talk to is [helpful] because I'm now sitting in a one-bedroom apartment on my own at night watching TV going, "What is going on?" But I just feel 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.'
James and Ola's Strictly history
James and Ola became household names with BBC audiences when they joined Strictly together in 2006. James featured on the hit show until 2013 and was partnered with stars such as Vanessa Feltz, Alex Jones, Denise Van Outen, and Pamela Stephenson.
Ola competed until 2015, dancing with celebrities including DJ Spoony, Sid Owen, Robbie Savage, Steve Backshall and Iwan Thomas. The Polish dancer also won the Glitterball trophy alongside TV personality Chris Hollins in 2009.
