Former Strictly star James Jordan has warned TV presenters that there won’t be any extra white, straight males on our screens if they start ticking boxes.
Astonished by the current company’s promise to turn into extra diverse, Jordan mentioned finishing all-female presentation duos – the equivalent of Tessa Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who are currently on the BBC One dance presentation, which he starred in for seven years. 2006 and 2013.
The ballroom dancer’s comments here come after he was asked who would host ITV’s skating presentation Dancing On Ice (which he got in 2019) alongside Holly Willoughby when it returns next year without Philip Schofield, and he insisted he must be a person.
When asked if the ITV dance show should follow in the footsteps of Strictly Come Dancing by having two female hosts at the helm, Jordan said: “No! Stop checking boxes all the time. Invite a man and a woman to Dancing On Ice.
James Jordan launched a blistering attack on show business’s promise to become ultra-diverse
Pictured: Strictly in 2011 with qualified dancer spouse Ol Jordan
Jordan also mentioned that all female presenting duos must be complete – on a par with Tessa Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who hosted the BBC One dance presentation in which he starred for seven years between 2006 and 2013.
“I like to see men too, or we’re not going to see white, straight men on TV anymore.”
Jordan is now hoping that either The Chase host Bradley Walsh, dancer Jordan Benyo or radio DJ Vernon Kaye will change Schofield.
Like Ms Daly, 54, and Ms Winkleman, 51, Ms Willoughby has joined This Morning with her female colleagues.
In March, she performed alongside Alison Hammond, 48, and Josiah Gibson, 38, who joined her earlier this month for the first day of a two-week hiatus following Schofield’s departure from Present.
Ms Hammond and Ms Gibson have also co-hosted ITV’s Gift of the Day. And on Good Morning Britain, Kate Garraway, 56, anchors with Ranvir Singh, 45, and Charlotte Hawkins, 48.
The ballroom dancer’s comments here came after being asked who should host ITV’s ice skating presentation Dancing On Ice with Holly Willoughby when she returns to it next year without Philip Schofield and insisting it has to be the person.
He hosted ITV’s Rivals in 2019 alongside skilled co-star Alexander Shoman
Jordan, 45, also revealed that he stopped dancing because he was mourning the loss of his father Alan, who passed away in March 2021. Pictured: Dancing on Strictly with Denise Van Outen in 2012.
Jordan, 45, also revealed he stopped dancing to mourn the loss of his father Alan, who passed away aged 67 in March 2021 after suffering from a brain tumour.
He also says he suffered from “brain fog” and lack of motivation during the pandemic, which caused him to gain 5kg.
Admitting that he seems to have ‘hated’ her, he and his partner Ola – also a former strictly qualified dancer – set up Dance Shred, a health website that combines training for success with useful training, and together they have misplaced huge six and a half stone. Ms. Jordan, age 40, fell from the 14th dimension to the 8th dimension in just 4 months.
It’s so successful that this week they’re launching a brand new four-week program called Dance Shred, an abbreviated workout for people looking to lose weight in a short amount of time.
