James Jordan (born 13 April 1978) is an English ballroom dancer and choreographer. His dance partner is his wife
Ola Jordan
Aleksandra "Ola" Jordan (''née'' Grabowska; born 30 September 1982) is a British-Polish professional ballroom dancer and model. She appeared as a professional on the British TV show ''Strictly Come Dancing'' from 2006 to 2015. After winning a ch ...
, with whom he turned professional in 2000. Jordan appeared as a professional on ''
Strictly Come Dancing
''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 ...
'' from 2006 to 2013. In August 2014, he participated in the
fourteenth series of ''
Celebrity Big Brother
''Big Brother VIP'', is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, the housemates or houseguest ...
''. He finished in third place. He returned as an All-Star for the
nineteenth series, where he was evicted in thirteenth place.
In 2018 he appeared along with his wife, Ola, on Comedy Central's ''
Your Face or Mine?
''Your Face or Mine?'' is a British comedy game show that originally aired on E4 from September 2002 to May 2003, hosted by Jimmy Carr and June Sarpong. Comedy Central revived the show in 2017 with Carr and Katherine Ryan
Katherine Louisa R ...
''. On 10 March 2019, Jordan won the
eleventh series of ''
Dancing on Ice
''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series presented by Phillip Schofield alongside Holly Willoughby from 2006 to 2011, who then returned in 2018, and Christine Bleakley from 2012 to 2014. The series features celebrities and their profe ...
'', where he was partnered with professional Finnish figure skater
Alexandra Schauman
Professional skaters from the British television show '' Dancing on Ice'' are figure skaters who appear with celebrities in front of a panel of judges. Most of the professionals on the series are former ice dancers or pair skaters.
Competi ...
.
Dancing career
Jordan was born in
Gillingham, Kent
Gillingham ( ) is a large town in the unitary authority area of Medway in the ceremonial county of Kent, England. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Chatham, Rochester, Strood and Rainham. It is also the largest town in the ...
,
and attended
St John Fisher Catholic School in Chatham.
He started dancing at the age of 13. He now dances with his wife,
Ola. Ola previously danced with Przemek Lowicki in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
; James previously danced with Agnieszka Melnicka, but they split in 1999. He also danced with Kate Pothecary (1996) and Elisabeth Haraldsdottir (October 1997 – December 1997).
James and Ola's first recorded dance as a partnership was in the Dutch Open in 2000, though they did not turn professional until 2003. The couple retired for a while, in favour of teaching Latin American dancing in Hong Kong, though they returned to competition later.
In May 2006, the couple came second in the
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
Professional Rising Stars Latin event, and in November they came third in the British Championship, Professional Latin. In 2010, he was a choreographer in ''
So You Think You Can Dance
''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and has ...
''. they live near Maidstone in Kent,
close to his family who live on
St Mary's Island, Medway
St Mary's Island, is part of the Chatham Maritime development area in Medway, South East England. It is located at the northern end of Chatham, adjacent to Brompton and Gillingham. Once part of the Royal Dockyard, Chatham, the area had con ...
.
''Strictly Come Dancing''
Highest and lowest scoring performances per dance
Series 4 (2006)
In his
first series as a ''Strictly'' professional, Jordan partnered ''
Casualty
Casualty may refer to:
*Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster
**Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare
* The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...
'' actress
Georgina Bouzova
Georgina Bouzová (born 1 June 1976) is an English television actress best known for her former role as Ellen Zitek in the BBC One medical drama ''Casualty''. Previously, Bouzová had a number of minor television roles including in '' Doctors'', ...
.
* Series average for Georgina and James: 19.3
Series 5 (2007)
In the
fifth series of ''Strictly'', Jordan was partnered by
BBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC television, radio and online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadcasting the sport live or alongside flag ...
presenter
Gabby Logan
Gabrielle Nicole Logan (''née'' Yorath; born 24 April 1973) is a Welsh presenter and a former international rhythmic gymnast who represented Wales and Great Britain. She hosted ''Final Score'' for BBC Sport from 2009 until 2013. She has also p ...
, whose
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
player husband
Kenny Logan
Kenneth McKerrow Logan (born 3 April 1972) is a retired Scottish rugby union player who played wing for Stirling County RFC and Glasgow District at amateur level; Glasgow Warriors, Wasps RFC and London Scottish at professional level; and ...
was partnered by
Ola Jordan
Aleksandra "Ola" Jordan (''née'' Grabowska; born 30 September 1982) is a British-Polish professional ballroom dancer and model. She appeared as a professional on the British TV show ''Strictly Come Dancing'' from 2006 to 2015. After winning a ch ...
. This was the first time two married couples had competed against each other. Gabby and James were voted out in Week 4 of the competition, as he did in the previous series. Kenny and Ola were voted out in Week 9 (ending up in 5th place).
* Series average for Gabby and James: 30.0
Series 6 (2008)
In the
sixth series of ''Strictly Come Dancing'', James Jordan danced with actress
Cherie Lunghi
Cherie Mary Lunghi (born 4 April 1952) is an English film, television, and theatre actress, known for her roles in many British TV dramas. Her international fame stems from her role as Guinevere in the 1981 film ''Excalibur''. Her long list of ...
, while Ola's partner was the GMTV presenter
Andrew Castle. After having exited so early in his previous series, James was concerned he was under a "four-week curse", which was then broken. He and Lunghi were voted off in Week 9, in a dance-off against
Lisa Snowdon
Lisa Snowdon
7 May 2001, ''People'' (born Lisa Snawdon on 23 January 1972) is an English television an ...
and her partner
Brendan Cole
Brendan Cole (born 23 April 1976) is a New Zealand ballroom dancer, specialising in Latin American dancing. He is most famous for appearing as a professional dancer on the BBC One show, ''Strictly Come Dancing''. From 2005 to 2009, he was a j ...
. In January–February 2009, Jordan also danced with Lunghi on the Strictly Come Dancing Tour 2009.
* Series average for Cherie and James: 32.4
Series 7 (2009)
In
series 7 Series 7 may refer to:
*The seventh season of any of many shows or series; see and
*Series 7 exam, officially the General Securities Representative Exam, the most comprehensive financial securities exam offered by the FINRA
*'' Series 7: The Conte ...
, he was partnered by actress
Zöe Lucker
Zöe Elizabeth Lucker (born 11 April 1974) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Sonya Leach in ''Coronation Street'' Tanya Turner in the ITV drama series, ''Footballers' Wives''; Vanessa Gold in the long-running BBC One soap o ...
but they were eliminated in week 7. Jordan stated that "winning that trophy is my dream but I wouldn't give up this wonderful lady for that ball." Eventually, wife Ola won the competition that year, partnered with presenter
Chris Hollins.
* Series average for Zoe and James: 31.4
Series 8 (2010)
In
the 2010 series, Jordan was partnered with comedian and psychologist
Dr. Pamela Stephenson. Despite competing at the age of 61, Pamela quickly defied all odds by topping the judges' leaderboard for the first three weeks of the competition, and for six weeks in total, a record for the series. In week 10, their
Viennese Waltz
Viennese waltz (german: Wiener Walzer) is a genre of ballroom dance. At least four different meanings are recognized. In the historically first sense, the name may refer to several versions of the waltz, including the earliest waltzes done in b ...
received the first ever perfect 40 from the judges for the series. The pair made it to the ''Strictly'' final, and despite never being in the bottom two even once before and were the highest-scoring couple throughout the evening, they eventually finished in third place behind actress
Kara Tointon
Kara Louise Tointon (born 5 August 1983) is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Dawn Swann in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. In 2010, she won the BBC competition series ''Strictly Come Dancing'', and in 2015, she appeared as ...
and presenter and former gymnast
Matt Baker
Matthew James Baker (born 23 December 1977) is a British television presenter. He co-presented the children's television show ''Blue Peter'' from 1999 until 2006, BBC One's ''Countryfile'' since 2009 and ''The One Show'' from 2011 to 2020, wit ...
. Pamela and James collected three perfect scores from the judges throughout the series, a record at the time they shared with
Lisa Snowdon
Lisa Snowdon
7 May 2001, ''People'' (born Lisa Snawdon on 23 January 1972) is an English television an ...
and
Brendan Cole
Brendan Cole (born 23 April 1976) is a New Zealand ballroom dancer, specialising in Latin American dancing. He is most famous for appearing as a professional dancer on the BBC One show, ''Strictly Come Dancing''. From 2005 to 2009, he was a j ...
in
series 6.
*Series average: 35.1
*Bold scores indicate the occasion where their dances were the highest-scoring dances of the respective weeks.
Series 9 (2011)
''
The One Show
''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weeknights at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Jermaine Jenas, and Ronan K ...
'' presenter
Alex Jones
Alexander Emerick Jones (born February 11, 1974) is an American far-right and alt-right radio show host and prominent conspiracy theorist. He hosts ''The Alex Jones Show'' from Austin, Texas, which the Genesis Communications Network broadcas ...
was James Jordan's partner in the
2011 series. Jordan and judge
Craig Revel Horwood
Craig Revel Horwood (born 4 January 1965) is an Australian-British author, dancer, choreographer, conductor, theatre director, and former drag queen in the United Kingdom. He is also a patron of the Royal Osteoporosis Society.
Horwood is best k ...
were involved in a minor feud, as a 6 for Jones' Charleston in week 9 caused the couple to flutter down the leaderboard, as opposed to their top position the week before. The tough score outraged the professional dancer as he reportedly stormed out of the studio fuming, feeling the score to be undeserved and personal against James. Horwood further defended his judgement by claiming himself to be "tougher" as the competition goes. This feud was further reiterated when Horwood dropped James and Ola Jordan from the ''Strictly'' tour later in the year. Alex Jones reached the semi-final, eventually coming fifth in the competition.
Jennifer Grey
Jennifer Grey (born March 26, 1960) is an American actress. She made her acting debut with the film ''Reckless'' (1984), and had her breakthrough with the teen comedy film '' Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (1986). She subsequently earned worldwide ...
, the winner of the eleventh series of ''Dancing with the Stars
''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...
'', the American version of 'Strictly', was a guest judge, replacing Len Goodman
Leonard Gordon Goodman (born 25 April 1944) is an English professional ballroom dancer, dance judge, and coach.
He has appeared as head judge on the television dance programmes ''Strictly Come Dancing'', a programme where various celebrities c ...
while he had a week off.
* Series average for Alex and James: 30.3
Series 10 (2012)
For its
tenth series in September 2012, Jordan was partners with television presenter, actress and singer
Denise van Outen. Surpassing his feat with Pamela Stephenson, he secured the top position of the leaderboard 7 times with Denise, including 4 consecutive top positions. For the second time ever, he reached the final but placed his best in the competition overall, with Outen and Jordan finishing as runners-up with singer
Kimberley Walsh
Kimberley Jane Scott (née Walsh; born 20 November 1981) is an English singer, fashion designer, model, variety performer, television presenter, actress and dancer. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality series '' Po ...
and her partner
Pasha Kovalev
Pavel "Pasha" Kovalev (russian: Па́вел "Па́ша" Ковалёв) is a Russian professional Latin and ballroom dancer.
Kovalev started dancing at the age of eight, and in 2001, moved to the United States with his professional dance par ...
, behind the winners gymnast
Louis Smith and professional partner
Flavia Cacace
Flavia Cacace-Mistry born 1980 is an Italian British professional dancer. Her professional dance partner is Vincent Simone (they are branded when performing together as 'Vincent and Flavia'), and for ten years both partners appeared on the BBC's ...
.
* Series average for Denise and James: 35.1
Series 11 (2013)
On 7 September 2013, ''Strictly Come Dancing '' Jordan was partnered with
Vanessa Feltz
Vanessa Jane Feltz is an English television personality, broadcaster, and journalist. She has appeared on various television shows, including Vanessa (British TV series), ''Vanessa'' (1994–1998), ''The Big Breakfast'' (1996–1998), ''The Vane ...
. The pair were eliminated in the third round.
Other television appearances
Jordan, together with Ola, took part in a celebrity version of television programme ''
Total Wipeout
''Total Wipeout'' is a British game show, hosted by Richard Hammond and Amanda Byram, which first aired on the BBC on 3 January 2009. In each episode, contestants competed in a series of challenges in an attempt to win £10,000. These challen ...
'' which was broadcast on 26 December 2009. In August 2014, James took part in
fourteenth series of
Celebrity Big Brother
''Big Brother VIP'', is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, the housemates or houseguest ...
. He entered the house on Day 1 and finished third on the final night. Since 2014, Jordan has regularly appeared as a panellist on ''
The Wright Stuff
''The Wright Stuff'' is a British television chat show which was hosted by former tabloid journalist Matthew Wright from 2000 until 2018. It aired on Channel 5 on weekday mornings from 9:15 to 11:15am. The series characterised itself as "Br ...
''.
Jordan and wife Ola appeared on ''
Through the Keyhole
''Through the Keyhole'' is a British comedy panel game show created by the TV producer Kevin Sim and originally presented by Sir David Frost in the studio and Loyd Grossman on location. The location presenter goes around celebrities' houses and ...
'' in September 2015, with host
Keith Lemon
Keith may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters
* Keith (surname)
* Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949)
* Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons ...
.
Jordan starred in ''
Celebrity Big Brother 19
''Celebrity Big Brother 19'', also known as ''Celebrity Big Brother: All-Stars vs. New Stars'', was the nineteenth series of the British reality television series ''Celebrity Big Brother'', hosted by Emma Willis and narrated by Marcus Bentley. ...
'' as an "all star" housemate. He was the fourth celebrity to be evicted from the Celebrity Big Brother House.
In 2019, Jordan participated in the
eleventh series of ''
Dancing on Ice
''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series presented by Phillip Schofield alongside Holly Willoughby from 2006 to 2011, who then returned in 2018, and Christine Bleakley from 2012 to 2014. The series features celebrities and their profe ...
'', alongside professional partner
Alexandra Schauman
Professional skaters from the British television show '' Dancing on Ice'' are figure skaters who appear with celebrities in front of a panel of judges. Most of the professionals on the series are former ice dancers or pair skaters.
Competi ...
. After receiving the most votes, Jordan and Schauman were crowned the winners of the series.
He also appeared on the
fourth series of ''
Celebrity Coach Trip
''Coach Trip'' is a British reality game show originally broadcast on Channel 4 from 7 March 2005 to 30 June 2006. The programme returned after a three-year break, from 25 May 2009 to 9 March 2012. In early 2013, the show went into hiatus agai ...
'', alongside wife Ola.
Filmography
References
External links
*
*
James Jordan''Biogs.com profile''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, James
1978 births
Living people
British ballroom dancers
English male dancers
Place of birth missing (living people)