Strictly Come Dancing Strictly's James & Ola: 'We don't get competitive'

Strictly Come Dancing's only married couple, James and Ola Jordan, tell TV Times magazine about their relationship - on and off the dancefloor...

James, in this year’s first live show, you scolded Craig for his stingy scores...
James: "It was a bit dramatic. A few of the celebrities were feeling down and Ola’s partner Robbie was very upset. Len said to Ola she was buzzing round like a wasp at a picnic, which makes me think he’s challenging her choreography. I am very protective of my wife and if anyone says anything bad about her I’m going to back her up."
Ola: “James is brilliant, I was very proud of him standing up to Craig. Sometimes I think he shouldn’t and that he should just leave it, but he can’t help himself. He has to stick up for me.”

What do you make of your celebrity partners this year?
James: “Both of us have got very high profile, young, good-looking celebrities in Alex and Robbie and we’re having a great time. It’s a happy Jordan household.”
Ola: “We are happy with our partners, but we find it hard being away from each other. We see each other at weekends, but it’s still not nice. After days at work you just want to come back to someone and chat to them.”

Is there any rivalry on the dancefloor?
James: “We’ve been together for 12 years now so I don’t get competitive with Ola. Obviously we have lots of banter, but if one of us needs help we’re always there for each other. She videos her dances and I’ll have a look and vice versa.”
Ola: “I ask questions like ‘How would you do that step as a man?’ and it’s the same for him. We want both of us to do well.”

It must be odd seeing each other dance with other people, though?
James: “The first year was very strange because I was always with Ola and then all of a sudden she’s spending eight hours a day with another man.”
Ola: “People assume it’s easy for us, but it is hard. I trust James more than anything so it’s OK, but on the other hand it’s still funny that he’s dancing with some other gorgeous woman all day.”

And Ola, what about the trophy you won with Chris Hollins in 2009?
Ola: “He’s not allowed to touch it!”
James: “It gets very grating. Every morning the light shines onto the glitterball and there’s a mirror effect all round the house so I know that she won Strictly and I didn’t. I’m not even allowed to dust it!”