James Jordan ditches his wedding ring to promote his new 'midlife men's podcast' as he breaks his silence on 'incredibly painful' split from wife Ola and his mental health struggles

James Jordan is launching a new men's health and wellbeing podcast after confirming his 'incredible painful' split from his wife of 23 years Ola.   

It was announced on Friday that Strictly's longest-standing couple had split for good after a trial separation 'some time ago' with James moving out of their Kent family home.  

Ola, 43, and James, 48, shared a joint statement 24 hours later on Instagram and James spoke about his struggles with his mental health and their 'emotional decision' to part ways. 

James is now preparing for a new project and has been promoting his Manopause podcast in recent social media videos. The dancer will present the show with his Strictly pal Brendan Cole with the first episode 'coming later this year'.

In a video featuring preview clips and behind the scenes snippets and shared across social media a month ago, James is seen without his wedding ring.

The professional dancer is seen filming podcast interviews with guests including former Apprentice winner Lee McQueen and controversial Strictly contestant Wynne Evans, sharing an emotional hug with the latter.

Manopause promises to 'tackle the men's health issues that no one talks about but every man needs to know about', whilst James talks to camera and says it is 'about men in midlife, anything you want answered, anything you want to speak about let us know'.

In the shared statement released this weekend James explained how his 'mental health hasn’t been in a good place for quite some time'.

The joint statement began: 'After 26 years together, this is something we never imagined we would be sharing. Following recent reports in the press about our relationship and after receiving messages asking if everything is okay, we feel it’s important to speak directly rather than let speculation or hearsay tell our story.'

'We have always tried to be open and honest with the people who have supported us over the years and we feel it’s only right that this update comes from us.' 

'At the moment we’re taking some time apart as we work through very difficult personal challenges. (James) moved out of the family home some time ago. This has been an incredibly painful and emotional journey for us both and it certainly wasn’t an easy decision.'

They went to say their 'absolute priority' is their daughter, Ella, six.

They said: 'Our absolute priority, now and always, is our beautiful daughter Ella. She’s at the centre of everything we do. We are committed to co-parenting her with all the love, care and stability she deserves.

'Speaking personally (James) my mental health hasn’t been in a good place for quite some time. I’ve been struggling more than I’ve let people see and I’m taking the time I need to focus on getting myself into a healthier place, both for myself and for Ella.

'Neither of us is in a good place right now. We’re both doing our best to navigate one of the hardest chapters of our lives and we ask that people remember there are real people and real emotions behind every headline, every comment and every post.' 

'We don’t know exactly what the future holds. For now, we’re taking things one day at a time, doing what we both believe is best for ourselves, our family and most importantly….. Ella.'

'We’re incredibly grateful for the love, kindness and concern so many of you have shown us over the years.'

James has previously spoken about how he battled with crippling anxiety following the death of his beloved father, Alan, in 2021. 

He said at the time how his grief made him feel extremely weak, he woke up panicked thinking someone had broken into his house, and he experienced severe anxiety.

Citing his daughter as a Godsend, James said his family, specifically his wife and dance partner Ola, had pulled him out of the emotional and dark time.

Fans wrote in the comments: 'Take care & look after yourself & I hope you both can find each other again' and 'Sending love'.  

James and Polish-born beauty Ola first met at a dance competition in Blackpool in 1999 and married four years later.

They were initially dance partners before their professional relationship developed into romance, James proposed two years later and the couple tied the knot in October 2003.

They welcomed their daughter Ella in February 2020 via IVF following a three-year fertility battle. 

The pair shot to fame as professionals on BBC One celebrity competition Strictly Come Dancing, which they both joined in series four back in 2006.

James bowed out of the show after season 11 in 2013, while Ola left at the end of series 13 in 2015.

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