Category News

Strictly winner Ore Oduba opens up on self-discovery after tragic death of sibling

By in Entertainment News, News

Strictly Come Dancing 2016 winner Ore Oduba has opened up about the heartbreaking death of his sister, and his deeply painful loss changed his entire outlook on life

Strictly winner Ore Oduba opens up on self-discovery after tragic death of sibling(Image: Getty Images)

Sports broadcaster Ore Oduba has opened up about the heartbreaking death of his sibling, Lola, admitting that the loss of them changed his whole outlook on life. The BBC Sport host, who won Strictly Come Dancing in 2016 alongside Joanne Clifton, revealed how his family has had a “really difficult year”.

Speaking on John Reynolds’ Extraordinary Life Stories podcast, Ore, 39, spoke about his deeply personal and painful experience of losing his sister. He explained: “I wasn’t prepared to lose my sister. She’s been with me every day since.

“My sister’s non-binary, they told us in their goodbye letter. They’ve been with me every day since. What my sister did in choosing to find peace in death that they couldn’t find in life – that was strength, that was courage, and that was brave.

“And having gone through the last four or five years of their life and hearing about these troubles they were dealing with physically and emotionally. And actually, my sister did more living in the last five years of their life than in the previous 32 and still made a decision that they couldn’t carry on in this world.

Ore Oduba shared how his sister's death affected him
Ore Oduba shared how his sister’s death affected him(Image: INSTAGRAM)

READ MORE: Strictly Come Dancing 2025: All celebrities rumoured to be joining as Gorka Marquez pulls outREAD MORE: Bill Bailey responds to ‘toxic’ Strictly Come Dancing claims with honest verdict

“What they did for all of us in those last weeks, that’s given me the strength every day. And my responsibility now is to carry that legacy, because nothing is hard compared to what my sister went through.”

Article continues below

Ore’s sister, Lola, sadly died in April this year, a year after the presenter divorced from his wife of nine years, Portia Oduba. Ore said how his sister’s death gave him a completely new outlook on life, adding: “We don’t know when our last day is, and the truth is there isn’t time, there isn’t time. So I’m going to make the most of every single second I’ve got left.

“I can’t say enough, when you’ve been through something that puts life into perspective, your whole outlook changes. None of this stuff matters, John, none of it matters. But you can wrestle what is really important back before it’s too late.”

Ore Oduba won Strictly Come Dancing in 2016
The sports broadcaster won Strictly in 2016(Image: BANG Showbiz)

Ore showed his support on social media for Lola earlier this month, revealing his sibling identified as non-binary, using they/them pronouns, towards the end of their life. He began: “Lots of people have been asking about the rainbow in my bio… some will say I don’t need to explain myself (and they’d be right) however in this case I’m happy to share my why. It’s maybe not why you think.”

He continued: “I’ve mentioned before about the longer you can withstanding a storm the closer you are to your rainbow. I’m so glad to have grown monumentally through a truly difficult, stormy period in my life. the colours of my rainbow look very bright today.

Ore presents for BBC Sport
Ore presents for BBC Sport(Image: Getty Images for The National Lottery)

“But in losing my sister in April the symbol of a rainbow has brought me closer to them in the times I’ve needed it desperately. My sister was very proudly black and very proudly queer.

“Definitely an ICON to me and so many of their friends and family. In the last year of their life they identified as non-binary. My pride for them knows no bounds.

“Despite doing a whole lot of living in their latter years, my sister spent much of their life in shame and humiliation of who they were. In so many ways, my sister’s death gave ME a gift of life.

“Having realised I’d lived the majority of my life for the attention of others, often suppressing my authentic self, my sister gave me the wake up call to live my life fully and express myself wholeheartedly. And that is what I plan to do. It’s certainly the version of me I want to mirror for my children.”

Ore then addressed his sexuality, writing: “So am I gay, as someone keenly asked me on insta yesterday. No, not in the traditional or sexual sense.

“But if ‘coming out’ is about shedding a former self to put forward the new, truest version of me, without the shame, the hiding, without the second-guessing whether any decision will make me happy rather than how others perceive me, how I cheerlead others with kindness and compassion, with occasionally quiet, or loud, flamboyance, depending on the mood, and a big dollop of camp then HALLELUJAH – count me in!”

Article continues below

Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

READ MORE: Rare luxury watches made out of rubbish shoppers ‘couldn’t be happier with’

New faces but familiar heroes on ‘proud day’ for Sunderland

By in News, Sports News

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

Matthew Howarth
BBC Sport journalist
  • 12 Comments

The 2025-26 Premier League season is barely a game old but, for Sunderland fans, the embryonic table merits more than just a cursory glance.

Tipped by many to make a swift return to the Championship, Regis Le Bris’ team confounded the pre-season doom-mongers with a magnificent display against West Ham to start their first top-flight campaign since 2016-17 in style.

After keeping Graham Potter’s side at bay in the first half, the Black Cats found their claws in the second as headers from Eliezer Mayenda and Dan Ballard gave them a comfortable two-goal cushion before Wilson Isidor put the icing on a flawless second-half display in added time.

The final whistle sparked jubilant celebrations among the home supporters, who had gone nearly 13 years without seeing their team win a match in the opening two months of a top-flight season, since a 1-0 triumph over Wigan Athletic in September 2012.

You have to go even further back for Sunderland’s last Premier League win in the month of August – a 1-0 victory over Manchester City in 2010.

“I’m delighted,” Ballard told BBC Sport afterwards. “What a great start to life back in the Premier League. It could not have gone any better today.

“I’m delighted for the fans, because they’ve had some tough times before. It’s really nice when you can give back to them.”

Former England international – and Sunderland fan – Steph Houghton told Final Score: “This win means absolutely everything to the city and everybody associated with the club, especially when you consider the journey that we have been on.

Would players gel? ‘Today they answered that’

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

After eight years in the wilderness of the Championship and League One, Sunderland have spent big in an attempt to keep their heads above water this season.

They have splurged about £132m on new signings – Nottingham Forest hold the record for the biggest outlay by a team promoted to the Premier League, with the approximate £142m they spent bringing in 21 players in the summer of 2022.

Nordi Mukiele’s impending arrival is set to increase the number of new faces on Wearside to 12.

The defender was rumoured to be at Saturday’s game before a reported £9.5m move from Paris St-Germain. If he was among the crowd, the former Leverkusen and Leipzig player will have enjoyed what he saw as seven new signings made their league debuts.

The tenacity and composure of veteran Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka allowed his team-mates to flourish, with former Strasbourg captain Habib Diarra’s skill and close control in the final third causing the Hammers all sorts of problems.

Noah Sadiki, another summer arrival from Belgium, completes a potent midfield trio which – on this evidence – looks more than capable of keeping the Black Cats afloat.

Goalkeeper Robin Roefs also enjoyed an outstanding debut, making a fine stop from Jarrod Bowen in the first half before preserving his clean sheet late on by tipping Isidor’s attempted clearance over the crossbar.

And yet, for all the talk of new arrivals, it was three of Sunderland’s Championship play-off heroes who grabbed the headlines.

Mayenda netted Sunderland’s opener in the Championship play-off final in May, while Ballard – who denied West Ham’s El Hadji Malick Diouf in the first half with a superb last-ditch clearance – rescued the Black Cats from semi-final heartache against Coventry.

Isidor – a second-half substitute on Saturday – was also on target against the Sky Blues, opening the scoring before a late Mayenda strike sealed a 2-1 win.

“The players they have got, and the players they have signed, makes me think Sunderland will stay up,” said former Black Cats midfielder Don Hutchinson on Premier League Kick-Off. “I think Xhaka is going to be a real leader.”

Former Sunderland defender Gary Bennett told BBC Radio Newcastle: “We have to remember the giant strides we have made.

Fast Black Cats start could prove crucial

Last season, we had to wait until 5 October for any of the three promoted clubs – Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton – to get their first victory.

Recent history suggests a fast start is crucial for promoted top-flight sides. In the past 10 seasons, all 12 promoted clubs who have accrued 11 points or more in their opening 10 games have avoided relegation.

By contrast, only two of the 18 teams with 10 or fewer points after the same number of matches have stayed up.

Burnley were comfortably beaten 3-0 by Thomas Frank’s Tottenham on Saturday afternoon, while Leeds – who welcome Everton to Elland Road on Monday – have their work cut out to match Sunderland’s memorable opening-day triumph.

With games coming up against the newly promoted Clarets, and a Brentford side in transition following Frank’s departure, Le Bris and his players will fancy their chances of building on their phenomenal start.

“We’ve got to look to go to Burnley and try and win the game,” said Houghton. “We’ll definitely be going into the match full of confidence.

“Le Bris has built a young squad with lots of pace, especially in forward areas. When you create those chances you have to take them and that’s exactly what they did.

Related topics

  • Sunderland
  • Premier League
  • Football

Perrie Edwards struggled to leave the house over devastating health issue

By in Entertainment News, News

Little Mix’s Perrie Edwards has spoken about her mental health in a new interview, including about agoraphobia, after having previously opened up about challenges in her life

Perrie Edwards has spoken about her mental health in an interview released this week(Image: BBC STUDIOS)

Singer-songwriter Perrie Edwards has revealed the impact that a mental health condition had on her life last year. The Little Mix member has recalled in a new interview that she “could barely leave” her home towards the end of 2024.

Perrie, 32, who was name as an ambassador for the mental health charity Mind earlier this year, has been raising awareness around conditions like agoraphobia. The BRIT Award winner has also previously spoken about her experience with anxiety and panic attacks.

She’s now shared an update in an interview released this week. Perrie revealed that she has a tendency to “catastrophise” situation and struggled to leave the home she shares with her fiancé Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and their son last year.

READ MORE: Kerry Katona reveals devastating health condition after split from ex-fiancéREAD MORE: Katie Price left unable to complete basic functions after latest facial surgeries

Perrie Edwards in a black dress on a red carpet.
Perrie Edwards has spoken about her mental health, including the impact of agoraphobia, in an interview published this week(Image: Getty Images)

Speaking to the Telegraph, Perrie said that she’s “in her element” on stage, describing herself as “empowered”. She added: “But as soon as I’m back home behind closed doors, that’s when the anxiety kicks in and I’m just me again.”

She told the outlet that she can’t help but “catastrophise” over “everyday things,” such as getting into her car and driving to London. She said: “At the end of last year my agoraphobia got so bad I could barely leave the house.”

Article continues below

Agoraphobia is “a fear of being in situations where escape might be difficult or where help wouldn’t be available if things go wrong,” according to the NHS. It further states that the condition can lead to symptoms of a panic attack, and the NHS adds that it can itself develop from panic disorder.

Perrie has previously shared that she has developed panic disorder. Speaking on Alison Hammond’s Big Weekend in an episode released in May, she said: “I’ve developed panic disorder, so it’s the fear of having a panic attack.”

She told Alison Hammond that she developed it after she started suffering from “severe” panic attacks a few years ago. She shared: “I then developed like a fear of having one again. So I was like, if I’m on my own and I have a panic attack, I might die, and nobody will be here to help.”

Alison Hammond, in a black top, cream waistcoat and matching trousers, stood beside Perrie Edwards, in a white top and black trousers, outside a house.
It comes after Perrie previously discussed her mental health with Alison Hammond on the BBC show Alison Hammond’s Big Weekend(Image: BBC Studios)

Providing an insight into the impact that has on her life, she went on to say: “So that’s why I’m never on my own.” Asked if she’s ever at home alone, she said: “No, never. Never! I’m always with somebody. Because I just … I don’t like the feeling of feeling like I’m gonna die.”

Perrie told Alison later in the episode that she had her first panic attack after having an over-the-counter caffeine shot during a trip to Las Vegas with her bandmates some years ago. Perrie said on the BBC show: “I honestly thought I was having a heart attack from whatever was in [it].”

She recalled “pacing” around her room at the time and having panic attacks before ending up in hospital. Perrie, who suggested that the experience had been a “trigger” and led to her anxiety going “through the roof,” added: “After that incident, I just kept having them like again and again.”

Perrie has since revealed that she’s sought support from therapists to help her deal with panic attacks. Speaking to Metro in an interview published in June, she shared that she’s “trying to be at peace” with her anxiety and its physical symptoms, instead of fearing potential panic attacks.

She told the outlet that she has “tried everything,” adding that she has tried “all different kinds” of therapy. Perrie said that, despite having previously been given strategies to use, “everything goes out the window” in the moment.

Perrie shared: “Last year, maybe in September, I started to take my therapist to work with me, which I know is a very privileged situation.” She said that they were able to coach her through any panic attack “there and then,” with her saying in the interview: “It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”

If you are struggling with mental health, you can speak to a trained advisor from Mind mental health charity on 0300 123 3393 or email info@mind.org.uk

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

Article continues below

READ MORE: Disney+ to stream live European football each weekend in major schedule shake-up