James Jordan has made a heartbreaking confession following his split from Ola Jordan. The former Strictly Come Dancing stars recently announced they had separated after 23 years of marriage and 27 years together.
In their joint statement, James described their split as "incredibly painful", admitting he hadn't been in a good place for some time. The professional dancer, 48, recently launched the Manopause podcast with his former Strictly co-star Brendan Cole, 50, where the pair speak openly about their lives.
Midlife crisis admission
In the trailer shared on Instagram, James made an emotional confession about how he is feeling at the moment. He says: "I'm going through a midlife crisis."
The star continues: "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.
"So many different things, with career choices, waking up and not having purpose, things like that so 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
Earlier in the week, James made his first television appearance since announcing the separation. Speaking on This Morning, the dad-of-one said he has been residing alone in a one-bedroom flat following what he described as a "tough" few months.
When asked by host Angela Scanlon how he was coping, he said: "I'm okay. 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."
Statement on the separation
In a statement shared earlier this month, the former Dancing on Ice star said: "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 that their "absolute priority" is their six-year-old daughter Ella, who is at the centre of everything they do. "We are committed to co-parenting her with all the love, care and stability she deserves," he added. "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."
