Former Strictly Come Dancing champion Ore Oduba has courageously revealed that he contemplated suicide during the most challenging period of his lifelong struggle with pornography addiction. The television presenter, now forty years old, described how this "life destroying" dependency brought him to the brink of ending his own life.
A Lifelong Battle Beginning in Childhood
In an emotional interview on the Hurt to Healing podcast this week, Oduba disclosed that his addiction originated when he was merely nine years old, after being shown adult images by a friend's older brother. He recalled feeling "very intrigued" with "eyes being opened" during that initial exposure, noting that while full addiction did not set in immediately, the fascination began at that moment.
"I remember being very intrigued and a feeling of eyes being opened," Oduba explained. "Whilst I wouldn't say addiction set in immediately, the intrigue started immediately. And it didn't take long relatively speaking, for that intrigue to start running my mind over because at nine, at that age, you haven't necessarily got full access."
Reaching Rock Bottom
The former CBeebies presenter described reaching a critical point where he recognised his life had become unsustainable. "I was pushing a lot of red buttons in my life that I knew were not working," he confessed during the podcast interview. "I had to change the way that I was living, and I had to change the people that were in my life, because for me if it carried on that way, it was going to be lights out."
Oduba spoke openly about experiencing suicidal ideation during this period, stating: "I knew that the person that I was becoming, it was either, save myself or carry on for the betterment of others and... it's a very sensitive topic, but I'm talking about suicidal ideation. I was thinking I can't carry on like this. So, I knew I had to save myself, I had to save my life."
Personal Consequences and Recovery Journey
The television personality's addiction had significant personal repercussions, including the breakdown of his nine-year marriage to Portia in September 2024. The former couple share two children, seven-year-old Roman and four-year-old Genie, whom they now co-parent.
Oduba revealed that confronting his addiction highlighted deficiencies in other areas of his life. "Trying to find the abundance of love in other areas of my life, just didn't exist," he told podcast host and mental health activist Pandora Morris. "So, I had to re-prioritise friendship, changing the relationship with my children, changing the relationship with my mum, finding hobbies and finding things that made me feel alive."
Breaking Three Decades of Silence
The father of two explained that shame kept him silent about his struggle for thirty years before he finally sought help. "Shame kept me silent for 30 years," Oduba revealed. "It took me 30 years, two deaths, and a divorce to finally go: here's what's happening."
He disclosed that he only managed to "escape my addiction" approximately eighteen months ago, after spending "thousands and thousands" on adult content throughout his dependency.
Speaking Out to Protect Future Generations
Oduba emphasised that his motivation for speaking publicly stems from a desire to protect children from similar experiences in the digital age. "This is me putting my life as it is on the line, to save my children and to guide anybody else's children going into a world where at their fingertips, they can fall into something they never asked to," he explained emotionally.
The television personality expressed both fear and determination about his decision to share his story, stating: "Part of me is terrified, the vast majority is terrified because I feel like, personally, for me, the rest of my life begins the day after this, as it's a kind of a seminal draw-the-line moment."
From Strictly Success to Personal Revelation
Oduba first achieved widespread recognition after winning Strictly Come Dancing in 2016 alongside professional partner Joanne Clifton, in what remains the show's most-watched final with over thirteen million viewers. Following his dance triumph, he established a successful musical theatre career, including starring as Caractacus Potts in the UK tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
His recent podcast appearances mark a significant departure from his entertainment career, as he uses his platform to address serious mental health and addiction issues that remained hidden throughout his public life.
