Strictly Come Dancing’s longest standing couple James and Ola Jordan have announced their split.
The professional dancers met at a dance competition in Blackpool in 1999 and married in 2003.
They joined the BBC series three years later, with Ola eventually going on to lift the glitterball trophy in 2009, when she was paired with sports reporter Chris Hollins.
In 2020, they welcomed a daughter, Ella.
In a statement shared on Friday (7 August) evening, the couple’s representative confirmed that the pair had decided to split after beginning “a trial separation some time ago”.
“It is with great sadness that I can confirm that James and Ola began a trial separation some time ago,” their representative said.
“Their shared priority remains co-parenting their daughter, Ella, and they are committed to putting her wellbeing first.
open image in gallery“They would greatly appreciate your understanding as they navigate this difficult time.”
A source told The Sun that the split has “been a huge shock to their friends and family because they always seemed like such a solid couple”.
James has previously spoken frankly about the pressures of a long term relationship, telling Hello! that “marriage can be like a job sometimes, you’ve got to work at it”.
“I feel sometimes people are quick to give up on something and think the grass is always greener on the other side,” he continued.
open image in gallery“It’s not all beautiful,” Ola added. “Sometimes you can look at people’s posts and think, ‘Oh they’ve got perfect lives’, but it’s not like that.”
“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.”
James was paired with celebrities including broadcaster Gabby Logan, actor Zoe Lucker and One Show host Alex Jones, and also reached the final with presenter Denise van Outen and psychologist Pamela Stephenson, before leaving the show in 2014.
Ola, meanwhile, danced with the likes of rugby player Kenny Logan, tennis player Andrew Castle and the magician Paul Daniels, before departing Strictly a year after her husband in 2015.