Inside James Jordan and wife Ola’s marriage: From how they met to their impressive wedding day

4 January 2019, 16:22 | Updated: 4 January 2019, 17:24

James Jordan and Ola at the Pride of Britain Awards
James Jordan and his wife Ola have had a long and successful marriage. Picture: Getty

The Strictly Come Dancing duo Jordan and Ola met at a dance competition in 1999 and married four years later.

James Jordan, 40, and his wife Ola, 36, are know best known for starring in BBC One’s hit talent show, Strictly Come Dancing.

The professional ballroom dancers, who have also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother, I'm A Celeb and now Dancing On Ice, have been in showbizness for over a decade together but first laid eyes on each other back in 1999 during a dance competition in Blackpool.

Four years later they were married.

Here, we take a look inside the James and wife Ola's relationship, from how they met to their special wedding day:

James Jordan and Ola at ITV Palooza! - Red Carpet Arrivals
James Jordan and Ola have been together 20 years. Picture: Getty

When did James Jordan and Ola Jordan meet?

Strictly professionals James Jordan and wife Ola first met in Blackpool back in 1999.

James, who had already made a name for himself in the dance world, was competing with his Polish girlfriend and partner at the time when Ola set her sights on the Gillingham-born star.

“He was tall and very good-looking, with slicked-back black hair and piercing blue eyes. His dancing was amazing,” said the Polish beauty.

“His partner was Polish, and when I watched them dance together I was filled with just one thought: ‘I want to have a partner like that one day.’

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But just a few months later, Ola received an exciting phone call from James’s dance partner.

“To my amazement, the girl explained that she was the dance partner of the English dancer I’d seen and admired in Blackpool. His name was James Jordan, and it seemed that each of them had decided to look for another partner, in order to progress further.

“‘James would like to come to Poland and have a trial with you,’ the girl explained.”

Ola continued: “As well as being James’s dance partner, the girl who had phoned me was also his girlfriend.”

The trial was successful and the pair became official dance partners, which later blossomed into a romantic relationship.

Ola Jordan and James Jordan The Pride Of Britain Awards 2017
Ola Jordan first struck eyes on her husband at a dance competition. Picture: Getty

James Jordan and Ola Jordan’s wedding

It took the Strictly couple two years to go from dance partners to romantic relationship, but once they became official, things moved quickly.

Just two years after they started dating, James proposed and the couple married in a sweet ceremony on 12th October 2003.

The professional dancing duo, who live near Maidstone in Kent, have spoken at length about their marriage, describing it as a “love story” with its “ups and downs”.

Ola also said: “It's not all beautiful and sometimes you can look at people's posts on Instagram and Facebook and you think, oh they've got perfect lives, but it's not like that.

“Marriage is not like that, no one's got a perfect marriage. It's a work in progress and I think if two people want to be together, they'll make it happen.”

Do James Jordan and Ola Jordan have children?

The couple do not currently have children but revealed last year that they’re trying for a baby. Ola, 36, explained that a child has always been “missing” from their marriage and that now is the “right time” to begin a new chapter of their lives.

The couple postponed their 2018 tour, James and Ola: Uncensored, after James suffered a double hernia but Ola believed it “was a sign”.

“I believe everything happens for a reason, and we’re not getting any younger,” said the dancer.

James added: ”I’m so excited even thinking about trying for a baby!”

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