Strictly Come Dancing star Ore Oduba has bravely spoken about losing his sibling to suicide.
The TV presenter, who won the BBC dance show in 2016 with Joanne Clifton, was rocked by the devastating news of Lola’s death in April.
Ore, who admits it’s been ‘a really difficult year’ for his family, has now shifted his outlook on life, with the terrible tragedy reminding him that ‘we don’t know when our last day is’.
Appearing on the John Reynolds’ Extraordinary Life Stories podcast, the former CBBC presenter began: ‘I guess we have been through a really difficult year as a family, and I was very ready for that to kick off a new chapter in my life, and it did.
‘I’m grateful to him (Dad) for everything he gave us. I wasn’t prepared to lose my sister.’
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Ore’s lawyer father is in his eighties. He lives in Nigeria, and it’s rare they get to see one another, with Ore last documenting their reunion on Instagram in 2022 as he travelled over for the first time in three years post-pandemic.
On his sister’s death, he explained that they came out to loved ones in a note left behind. Being non-binary means a person does not identify as exclusively a man or a woman.
‘She has been with me every day since. My sister is non-binary; they told us in their goodbye letter. They’ve been with me every day since, and what my sister did in choosing to find a peace in death that they couldn’t find in life—that was strength. That was courage, and that was brave.’
He continued: ‘And having gone through the last four or five years of their life and hearing about their struggles physically and emotionally, when actually my sister did more living in the actual five years of their life than the previous 32, and still made a decision that they couldn’t carry on living in this world.
‘What they did for all of us in those last weeks, that has given me the strength every day, and my responsibility now is to carry that legacy because nothing is hard compared to what my sister went through.’
On how his own focus has changed in the wake of his grief, Ore has now realised that there simply ‘isn’t time’.
‘So I’m going to make the most of every single second I have left.’
Ore added that he can’t stress enough how much such a devastating event ‘puts life into perspective’.
‘None of this stuff matters, but you can wrestle what is really important back before it is too late, so that is what I’m doing now.‘
Ore’s comments come after another sad blow in his personal life in recent months, as he announced in October that he was splitting from his wife.
He and Portia met at Loughborough University in 2010 and married five years later, going on to welcome children Roman, seven, and Genie, four.
In his statement announcing their separation, Ore confirmed that they officially parted ways earlier in 2024.
‘We’re so grateful for all the love you’ve shared with us both over the years,’ he shared.
‘And we want to thank you in advance for respecting our privacy as we navigated this difficult transition. We will be making no further comment. Be kind, always.’
Ore has often spoken about his marriage to the TV researcher, who is the daughter of Nick ‘Animal’ Culmer, lead singer of the punk rock band Anti-Nowhere League, in the press.
In 2021, he opened up about the challenges of parenting: ‘My wife and I will be 10 years together next month, and we’ve never done anything more challenging than the last 12 months. There were tears, tantrums.
‘Roman has enhanced our world more than we could have dreamt but there are times we have to remember that we love each other, and that’s why he’s here. He’s been our guardian angel in lockdown, but he’s also been the cause of a few little tiffs.’
Ore confessed at the time that it was ‘hard finding time for each other’ but that ‘communication is key’.
‘We don’t go to bed in an argument.’
The West End star, who is remembered for Strictly performances such as his jive to Runaway Baby, has also long insisted that his wife was fully supportive of his stint on the programme, shutting down any worries of the so-called ‘curse’ striking.
‘We were very fortunate, because actually my wife was the kind of woman who said, “Can you get back in that rehearsal room with that wonderful woman, because you need to be a better dancer”,’ he previously joked.
‘We were a year married, and thankfully we got through it.’
Need support?
For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
Their HOPELINE247 is open every day of the year, 24 hours a day. You can call 0800 068 4141, text 88247 or email: pat@papyrus-uk.org.
