Who is Ore Oduba? Strictly Come Dancing 2016 contestant guide
The BBC’s Olympic presenter is hoping to take gold on the dance floor
Ore Oduba broke away from the pack in week four with a Jive to Runaway Baby, scoring the first 10s of the series. Since then he has been one to watch, but he has not always been top of the leader board – and has ended up in the dance-off twice. Now he will go up against Danny Mac and Louise Redknapp in the final.
Age: 30
Twitter: @OreOduba
Famous for: Presenting BBC’s sports coverage (you saw him on BBC Four during the Olympics) and making regular appearances on BBC Breakfast.
Who is his professional partner?
Ore has done well with Joanne Clifton, who is one of the most highly decorated dancers in the Strictly family, being crowned world ballroom champion in 2014 and five times British Champion.
Words cannot describe how happy i am to dance with you @OreOduba !!!! Let's SMASH IT https://t.co/1Paa5AdilM
— joanne k clifton (@joanneclifton) 3 September 2016
Ore started off in children’s TV, anchoring Newsround and Sportsround, before presenting live events such as the Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebrations, the London Marathon and EastEnders: Backstage Live (not all at the same time).
He’s also raised over £1 million for Sport Relief when he sailed around the UK on yacht in the Hell on High Seas challenge. Plus, he supported Comic Relief with this dance number that hopefully we’ll see replicated on Strictly. Fingers crossed, guys.
Will Ore Oduba win Strictly Come Dancing?
Considering Ore has been in the dance-off twice, he may not have the public support to be crowned winner. But he's young, fit, determined and talented – and we wouldn't rule him out.
Why is Ore Oduba doing Strictly Come Dancing?
We caught up with Ore ahead of the first live show...
Why are you doing Strictly this year? I’ve wanted to do it every year. I’ve been planting seeds by dancing on air — now look at this beautiful flower!
Any dance experience? I haven’t stood in the corner at a party since I was ten and scared of girls. I love getting out there and going for it. I’m good at the Russian dance where you crouch down and kick your feet. I pulled that one out at my wedding. A lot of dances came out that night... some never to be seen again!
Strictly Come Dancing 2016: meet the contestants
How many hours can you train? All the hours God sends! There won’t be as many early mornings, which is good. Despite waking up at 3.30am and working on BBC Breakfast from 6am, I hate mornings. But I can smile and make it look all right, which bodes well for the dance floor.
