Strictly winner opens up about finding ‘strength’ after sibling’s suicide

Ore Oduba has opened cup about the impact of his sibling’s suicide (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

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.

The 2016 Strictly winner lost his sister, Lola, in April (Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images) Lola came out as non-binary in a message left before taking their life

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 lifted the Glitter Ball trophy with pro partner Joanne Clifton after a string of unforgettable performances (Picture: PA) He and his wife, Portia, with whom he has two kids, split last year (Picture: Instagram)

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.

Ore has had a challenging few months (Picture: Instagram)