Strictly Come Dancing stars James and Ola Jordan have called time on their 22-year marriage, with their manager confirming a trial separation has been underway for some time.
Marriage 'Like a Job'
The couple, who appeared to be one of the strongest on the show, had previously spoken candidly about the challenges of their relationship. James once described marriage as 'like a job', telling HELLO!: “We’ve got a beautiful daughter and as my dad always used to say, and it’s true, ‘Marriage can be like a job sometimes, you’ve got to work at it’.”
Ola echoed this sentiment, saying: “It’s not all beautiful. No one’s got a perfect marriage. It’s a work in progress and if two people want to be together, they’ll make it happen.”
Strictly Curse Comments
James had also joked about the 'Strictly curse', admitting that without Ola, he might have been more prolific with his dance partners. “If I wasn’t with Ola, I’d have been worse than Giovanni Pernice!” he said.
The pair met in 1999 at a dance competition in Blackpool, married in 2003, and joined Strictly in 2006.
Weight Loss and Struggles
In recent years, they faced personal challenges, including James's father's death from a brain tumour in 2021 and Ola's IVF battles. They also spoke about how their weight gain affected their intimacy, with Ola telling The Sun: “The sex life is definitely different, if not worse, because we are so fat and don’t want to move after a bag of crisps and a Chinese.”
They later shed 6.5 stone combined, but James admitted: “Sex is definitely not better with the mum and dad bods. I can’t throw her about any more like I am used to doing.”
Confirmation of Split
Fans had grown suspicious due to the couple's absence from each other's social media and solo outings with their daughter Ella. Their manager and friend Vickie White confirmed the news, stating: "It is with great sadness that I can confirm that James and Ola began a trial separation some time ago. Their shared priority remains co-parenting their daughter, Ella, and they are committed to putting her wellbeing first."
