‘THIS YEAR HAS BEEN AN EMOTIONAL ROLLER-COASTER'

Ore Oduba on spending more time with his two-year-old son and a real family Christmas

- ANNA MATHESON

It’s four years since Ore Oduba took the Glitterball trophy alongside professional dancer Joanne Clifton, but the presenter is still enamoured with the magic of Strictly. “Portia and I genuinely count down the days to Saturday night so we can get our Strictly fix,” Ore tells us as we catch up for a chat about his latest charity project.

Like many people, Ore, 35, and his wife, Portia, have found the show a real tonic in a tough year. “It’s so nice that this show that we all love watching year on year has grown in it’s importance, even more so over the last months,” he says.

The TV presenter went on to appear in stage productions of Grease and Curtains: A Musical Whodunnit following his win. But with live theatre having been on hold for most of this year, Ore and Portia have been making the most of their time at home with two-year-old son Roman who, Ore says, is as cheeky as ever.

But while he’s looking forward to spending Christmas Day with his wife’s family, Ore is also hoping to make a difference for thousands of other children over the festive season and has thrown his support behind the Action For Children Secret Santa campaign. People can buy a festive jumper and help raise funds for vulnerable children and young people at the same time. “It’s such a lovely way for people to help change a kid’s life,” explains Ore.

Here, we chat to him about Christmas and his predictions ahead of the Strictly final…

Hi Ore. What are your Christmas plans looking like?