Aleksandra 'Ola' Jordan[3] (née Grabowska; born 30 September 1982) is a Polish-British professional ballroom dancer, specialising in Latin American dancing.[2][4] She appeared as a professional on the British BBC One television show Strictly Come Dancing (SCD) from 2006 to 2015,[3] becoming champion in 2009.[2][5] Prior to this, after winning a championship event in her native Poland, Aleksandra Grabowska moved to England and began a new partnership with James Jordan.[2] They married on 12 October 2003[2][4] and live near Maidstone in Kent.[6] In 2018, she became a judge on Dancing with the Stars: Taniec z gwiazdami in Poland.[7]
Ola Jordan | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Jordan on Dancing with the Stars: Taniec z gwiazdami in 2019 | |
| Born | Aleksandra Grabowska 30 September 1982 |
| Occupation | Professional dancer |
| Known for | Strictly Come Dancing (2006-15) Dancing with the Stars. Taniec z gwiazdami (2018-19) |
| Height | 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Parents | |
| Website | JamesAndOla.com |
Dancing career
editAleksandra Grabowska has been dancing since the age of ten[4] when her school advertised a dance club.[2] Before dancing with James Jordan, she had danced with Przemek 'John' Lowicki in Poland.[8] She won Poland's Open Championships in 1999 aged seventeen, and went on to take 12th place in the following year's World Championships.[1][2][4]
The first recorded dance by Ola Grabowska and James Jordan as a partnership was in the Dutch Open in November 2000,[8][9] though they did not turn professional until 2003. The couple married in October 2003.[1] They withdrew from competition dancing in order to teach Latin American dancing in Hong Kong for four years,[2] though they turned professional again in 2005, after missing competing.[10][11] In May 2006, the couple came second in the Blackpool Professional Rising Stars Latin event,[2][8][9] and in November, they came third in the British Championships for Professional Latin.[9] Ola and husband James first took part in the BBC One television show Strictly Come Dancing series 4 in 2006.[1][3] In 2009, Ola won the Glitter Ball trophy with her celebrity dance partner, BBC sports reporter Chris Hollins in seventh series.[2][4]
Strictly Come Dancing
editHighest and lowest scoring performances per dance
edit| dance | partner | highest | partner | lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Smooth | Ashley Taylor Dawson | 31 | Andrew Castle | 17 |
| Argentine Tango | Chris Hollins | 34 | ||
| Cha-cha-cha | 29 | Iwan Thomas | 13 | |
| Charleston | 40 | Steve Backshall | 26 | |
| Foxtrot | 37 | Paul Daniels | 21 | |
| Jive | Ashley Taylor Dawson | 31 | Chris Hollins | 22 |
| Paso doble | 35 | Kenny Logan | 21 | |
| Quickstep | Chris Hollins | 23 | ||
| Rumba | Paul Daniels | 16 | ||
| Salsa | Sid Owen | 22 | ||
| Samba | Chris Hollins | 31 | Kenny Logan | 18 |
| Showdance | 37 | |||
| Tango | Ashley Taylor Dawson | 33 | Iwan Thomas Sid Owen |
17 |
| Viennese Waltz | 31 | Andrew Castle | 24 | |
| Waltz | 35 | Kenny Logan | 21 |
DJ Spoony is the only celebrity not to appear on this list.
Jordan first appeared on Strictly Come Dancing during the show's fourth series in 2006, partnering DJ Spoony.[1][3] They were eliminated in the third round, a result which disappointed some of the audience. In series five, she danced with Scottish rugby player Kenny Logan[1] while her husband James danced with Kenny's wife, TV presenter Gabby Logan. This was the first time two married couples had competed against each other. Kenny was voted out of the show on the ninth week[12] while Gabby Logan was voted out earlier, in the fourth week.[13] Jordan was knocked out of series 6 in week seven of the competition, with her partner GMTV presenter Andrew Castle.[1]
In January–February 2009 Jordan danced with Kenny Logan on the Strictly Come Dancing Tour, and in series 7, she partnered BBC television sports reporter Chris Hollins, reaching the final and beating rivals Ricky Whittle and Natalie Lowe to become the 2009 champions.[2][5] Their prize was a Strictly Come Dancing glitter ball. Jordan and Hollins became affectionately known as 'Team Cola' by viewers and on the show, with Cola being a portmanteau of 'Chris' and 'Ola'.[1][14]
Jordan partnered magician Paul Daniels in the eighth season of the show; they were the second couple to be voted off.[1] For Children in Need 2010, Jordan partnered Harry Judd from the band McFly for a one-off Strictly special, dancing a Paso Doble. The couple won, beating Rochelle Wiseman of The Saturdays and her partner Ian Waite.
In the ninth series of the show, she was partnered with former Wales international footballer Robbie Savage.[1] They were the ninth couple voted out on 4 December 2011.[15]
In September 2012, during the show's tenth series, Jordan was partnered with EastEnders actor Sid Owen.[1] The couple were eliminated on Halloween week in October 2012.
For the eleventh series in September 2013, Jordan competed with former Hollyoaks actor and singer Ashley Taylor Dawson. They got as far as the 11th week before being voted out.[1]
In September 2014, for the show's twelfth series, Jordan was partnered with wildlife expert, presenter of the popular children's show Deadly 60 and its spinoffs, Steve Backshall. They were eliminated in week 9 (22/23 November 2014).[1] On 7 October 2014, Jordan and Backshall appeared on BBC Radio 1's Innuendo Bingo.[16]
On 5 September 2015, Strictly Come Dancing revealed Jordan would dance with sports commentator and Olympic medalist Iwan Thomas for the upcoming thirteenth series.[17] They were the first couple to leave the competition on 4 October 2015.[1] Shortly after their elimination, Jordan announced this was to be her last series of Strictly Come Dancing as she would not be returning in the following series. She made her last appearance when she was featured in a group dance for the Series 13 Final.[5]
| series | celebrity partner | place | average score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | DJ Spoony | 11th | 27.0 |
| 5 | Kenny Logan | 5th | 24.0 |
| 6 | Andrew Castle | 10th | 21.4 |
| 7 | Chris Hollins | 1st | 31.0 |
| 8 | Paul Daniels | 13th | 17.5 |
| 9 | Robbie Savage | 6th | 27.2 |
| 10 | Sid Owen | 12th | 20.7 |
| 11 | Ashley Taylor Dawson | 6th | 32.5 |
| 12 | Steve Backshall | 8th | 26.7 |
| 13 | Iwan Thomas | 15th | 15.0 |
DJ Spoony
edit| week no. |
dance / song | judges' score | result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Phillips | Goodman | Tonioli | total | |||
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha / "Kiss" | 5 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 27 | safe |
| 3 | Tango / "Tango D'Amour" | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 | eliminated |
Kenny Logan
edit| week no. |
dance / song | judges' score | result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Phillips | Goodman | Tonioli | total | |||
| 1 | Waltz / "Are You Lonesome Tonight" | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 21 | bottom two |
| 3 | Tango / "Call Me" | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 25 | safe |
| 4 | Samba / "Mujer Latina" | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 18 | safe |
| 5 | Paso Doble / "Take Me Out" | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 21 | safe |
| 6 | Viennese Waltz / "Flower of Scotland" | 5 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 26 | safe |
| 7 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Billie Jean" | 4 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 22 | safe |
| 8 | American Smooth / "How Sweet It Is" | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 30 | safe |
| 9 | Foxtrot / "They Can't Take That Away From Me Rumba / "Fields of Gold" |
7 4 |
7 5 |
8 7 |
8 7 |
30 23 |
eliminated |
Andrew Castle
edit| week no. |
dance / song | judges' score | result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Phillips | Goodman | Tonioli | total | |||
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha / "Mercy" | 4 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 23 | safe |
| 3 | Tango / "20th Century Boy" | 4 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 22 | safe |
| 5 | American Smooth / "You Know I'm No Good" | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 17 | safe |
| 6 | Viennese Waltz / "Annie's Song" | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 24 | safe |
| 7 | Samba / "Ain't It Funny" | 4 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 21 | eliminated |
Chris Hollins
edit| week no. |
dance / song | judges' score | result | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Bussell* | Goodman | Dixon | Tonioli | total | |||
| 1 | Tango / "Sharp Dressed Man" | 6 | – | 7 | 7 | 6 | 26 | safe |
| Rumba / "Don't Know Much" | 7 | – | 8 | 7 | 8 | 30 | safe | |
| 3 | Quickstep / "Dancing Fool" | 5 | – | 6 | 6 | 6 | 23 | safe |
| 4 | Salsa / "Micaela" | 5 | – | 6 | 7 | 7 | 25 | safe |
| 5 | Jive / "Roll Over Beethoven" | 5 | – | 6 | 6 | 5 | 22 | safe |
| 6 | American Smooth / "Jimmy Mack" | 7 | – | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 | safe |
| 7 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Shake Your Groove Thing" | 7 | – | 8 | 7 | 7 | 29 | safe |
| 8 | Foxtrot / "I Could Have Danced All Night" | 8 | – | 9 | 9 | 8 | 34 | safe |
| 9 | Paso Doble / "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" | 6 | – | 8 | 9 | 7 | 30 | safe |
| 10 | Viennese Waltz / "A New Day Has Come" | 7 | – | 8 | 7 | 7 | 29 | safe |
| 11 | Charleston / "Fat Sam's Grandslam" | 8 | – | 8 | 9 | 9 | 34 | safe |
| 12 | Waltz / "At This Moment" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 41 | safe |
| Samba / "Cuba" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 39 | safe | |
| 13 | Rumba / "Total Eclipse of the Heart" | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 38 | safe |
| Argentine Tango / "Bust Your Windows" | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 42 | safe | |
| 14 | Foxtrot / "I Could Have Danced All Night" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 46 | winners |
| Lindy Hop / "Sing Sing Sing" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 44 | ||
| Charleston / "Fat Sam's Grandslam" | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 50 | ||
| Showdance / "Do You Love Me" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 46 | ||
- Darcey Bussell joined the judging panel for the last three weeks of the show.
Paul Daniels
edit| week no. |
dance / song | judges' score | result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Goodman | Dixon | Tonioli | total | |||
| 1 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Could It Be Magic" | 2 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 16 | n/a |
| 2 | Foxtrot / "Lady Luck" | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 21 | safe |
| 3 | Rumba / "Take a Bow" | 2 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 16 | eliminated |
Robbie Savage
edit| week no. |
dance / song | judges' score | result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Goodman | Dixon | Tonioli | total | |||
| 1 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Bad Boys" | 2 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 19 | safe |
| 2 | Foxtrot / "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 29 | safe |
| 3 | Tango / "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 | safe |
| 4 | Jive / "Love Man" | 5 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 27 | safe |
| 5 | Paso Doble / "Bad" | 4 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 26 | safe |
| 6 | Waltz / "Love Ain't Here Anymore" | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 29 | safe |
| 7 | American Smooth / "Sway" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | safe |
| 8 | Salsa / "Let Me Entertain You" | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 26 | safe |
| 9 | Samba / "You Sexy Thing" | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 25 | safe |
| 10 | Quickstep / "Little Green Bag" | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 | eliminated |
Sid Owen
edit| week no. |
dance / song | judges' score | result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Bussell | Goodman | Tonioli | total | |||
| 1 | Waltz / "I Won't Give Up" | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 26 | safe |
| 2 | Salsa / "Hips Don't Lie" | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 22 | safe |
| 3 | Tango / "Here I Go Again" | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 17 | safe |
| 4 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Ghostbusters" | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 17 | eliminated |
Ashley Taylor Dawson
edit| week no. |
dance / song | judges' score | result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Bussell | Goodman | Tonioli | total | |||
| 1 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "What Makes You Beautiful" | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 | safe |
| 2 | American Smooth / "Beyond the Sea" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | safe |
| 3 | Samba / "Love Is in the Air" | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 30 | safe |
| 4 | Viennese Waltz / "Angel" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | safe |
| 5 | Jive / "Johnny B. Goode" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | safe |
| 6 | Tango / "Beautiful Monster" | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 33 | safe |
| 7 | Quickstep / "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 | safe |
| 8 | Paso Doble / "You Give Love a Bad Name" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 | safe |
| 9 | Waltz / "I Will Always Love You" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 | safe |
| 10 | Rumba / "A Whole New World" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 | bottom two |
| 11 | Salsa / "Conga" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 | eliminated |
Steve Backshall
edit| week no. |
dance / song | judges' score | result | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Bussell | Osmond* | Goodman | Tonioli | total | |||
| 1 | Tango / "Born to Be Wild" | 6 | 6 | - | 7 | 7 | 26 | safe |
| 2 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Treasure" | 3 | 6 | - | 6 | 6 | 21 | safe |
| 3 | Quickstep / "I Wan'na Be Like You" | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 34 | safe |
| 4 | Salsa / "Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)" | 6 | 7 | - | 7 | 7 | 27 | safe |
| 5 | Waltz / "I Wonder Why" | 7 | 8 | - | 7 | 8 | 30 | safe |
| 6 | Charleston / "Dem Bones" | 5 | 7 | - | 7 | 7 | 26 | safe |
| 7 | Paso Doble / "Use Somebody" | 6 | 8 | - | 7 | 7 | 28 | safe |
| 8 | American Smooth / "Rolling in the Deep" | 7 | 8 | - | 8 | 8 | 31 | safe |
| 9 | Jive / "Little Bitty Pretty One" | 4 | 7 | - | 6 | 6 | 23 | eliminated |
- Donny Osmond joined the judging panel for Movie Week in week three.
Iwan Thomas
edit| week no. |
dance / song | judges' score | result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Bussell | Goodman | Tonioli | total | |||
| 1 | Tango / "Keep on Running" | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 17 | none |
| 2 | Cha-cha-cha / "Sexy and I Know It" | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 13 | eliminated |
Other television appearances
editThis section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (October 2023) |
Ola and James Jordan took part in a celebrity version of television programme Total Wipeout which was broadcast on 26 December 2009. In 2010, she and Strictly Come Dancing head judge Len Goodman appeared as a team in the BBC programme Bargain Hunt for the benefit of the Children in Need appeal. Ola and James Jordan also took part in the judging panel on the television show Dancing on Wheels in 2010, and the couple also appeared on All Star Mr & Mrs in 2013, where they won the show. Ola and James appeared on an episode of Through the Keyhole in September 2015, as celebrity homeowners.
In December 2014, Jordan was announced as one of the celebrity competitors for the Channel 4 series The Jump, a television show which requires celebrities to compete in events such as skeleton, ski jumping, bobsleigh, slalom, and ski cross.[18] While practicing for the series, Jordan fell during a training run.[19] The resulting injury forced Jordan to withdraw from The Jump, and also prevented her from participating in the Series 12 finale of Strictly Come Dancing.[19] The fall caused Jordan to suffer a torn ligament in her knee, an injury which required Jordan to undergo surgery.[20]
In November 2016, she took part in the sixteenth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!; she was the third celebrity to be voted out of the jungle.[21]
In February 2018, Polish broadcaster Polsat announced that Jordan would replace Beata Tyszkiewicz as a judge on Dancing with the Stars: Taniec z gwiazdami (Polish version of Strictly Come Dancing).[7]
In 2019, she appeared on the fourth series of Celebrity Coach Trip alongside husband James.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Strictly Come Dancing - Ola Jordan - Small and energetic!". BBC.co.uk. BBC One, British Broadcasting Corporation. n.d. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Ola Jordan biography". JamesAndOla.com. James and Ola Dance Academy Limited. 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Strictly Come Dancing series four – Professional dancers". BBC.co.uk (Press release). BBC Press Office, British Broadcasting Corporation. 29 September 2006. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Strictly Come Pole Dancing". TheNews.pl. The News - Polskie Radio S.A. 21 December 2009. Archived from the original on 23 December 2009. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
- ^ a b c Al-Othman, Hannah (22 November 2015). "Ola Jordan tells twitter followers she has quit Strictly Come Dancing". Standard.co.uk. London, England: Evening Standard – Evening Standard Ltd. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
Hi tweeps.... So, yes it's true. I will be leaving Strictly at the end of this series. I have had an amazing 10 years on the show, but things change and I feel it's time for me to move onto other things.
- ^ "Strictly Come Dancing star James Jordan enters Celebrity Big Brother house". KentOnline.co.uk. Medway, Kent: Kent Online - KM Group. 18 August 2014. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014.
- ^ a b "Tancerka Ola Jordan za Beatę Tyszkiewicz w jury "Tańca z gwiazdami" w Polsacie" [Dancer Ola Jordan replaces Beata Tyszkiewicz in the jury of 'Dancing with the Stars' on Polsat]. WirtualneMedia.pl (in Polish). Realizacja Grupa AMP Media. 23 February 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ a b c "James Jordan (England) & Aleksandra Jordan (England)". DanceSportInfo.net. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ a b c "James Jordan and Aleksandra Jordan – result service - couple information". DancePlaza.com. Dance Plaza. n.d. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ "Strictly Come Dancing - James Jordan". MyParkMag.co.uk. Online Solutions Ltd. 8 October 2007. Archived from the original on 4 November 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2009.[unreliable source]
- ^ "Partnership news - James and Ola Jordan (dance couple WS)". JamesAndOlaJordan.co.uk. Archived from the original on 30 April 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2009.
- ^ "Kenny Logan foxtrots off Strictly". News.BBC.co.uk. BBC News. 2 December 2007. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ "Gabby Logan sambas off dance show". News.BBC.co.uk. BBC News. 28 October 2007. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ "Strictly Come Dancing message board – Our Couples for 2009 – Team Cola - Your true fans messages". BBC.co.uk. BBC. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
- ^ "Robbie Savage leaves Strictly Come Dancing". BBC.co.uk. BBC. 4 December 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ Strictly Come Bingo: Steve & Ola – Steve Backshall and his Strictly Come Dancing Partner, Ola Jordan join Scott and Chris for a very special Strictly Come Bingo. BBC Radio 1. 7 October 2014. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Daniel promises 'brilliant' Strictly partnership". RTE.ie. RTE Ten – RTÉ Commercial Enterprises Ltd. 5 September 2015. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
presenter Iwan Thomas has been paired with Ola Jordan
- ^ "Ola Jordan, Sally Bercow and Mike Tindall to take part in C4 show The Jump". TheGuardian.com. Guardian News and Media. Press Association. 10 December 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Injury puts Ola Jordan out of The Jump". Guardian-Series.co.uk. East London and West Essex Guardian, Newsquest (London & Essex). Press Association. 15 December 2014. Archived from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
- ^ Earp, Catherine (1 March 2015). "'It's going to be a slow process' - Ola Jordan discusses her recovery". OK!. Northern and Shell Media Publications. Archived from the original on 13 December 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
The Strictly Come Dancing professional has been undergoing physiotherapy after snapping a ligament in her knee
- ^ "Ola Jordan is the third contestant to leave I'm A Celebrity 2016". RadioTimes.com. Radio Times, Immediate Media Company. 28 November 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
External links
edit
- JamesAndOla.com — James and Ola Dance Academy Limited, official website
- Ola Jordan at IMDb
