Ola Jordan | |
---|---|
Born |
Aleksandra Grabowska 30 September 1982 Legionowo, Poland |
Residence | Maidstone, Kent, England |
Occupation | Dancer |
Height | 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) |
Spouse(s) | James Jordan (2003–present) |
Aleksandra "Ola" Jordan (née Grabowska; born 30 September 1982) is a Polish professional ballroom dancer. She appeared as a professional on the British TV show Strictly Come Dancing from 2006 to 2015. After winning a championship event in her native Poland, Jordan moved to England and began a new partnership with James Jordan. They married on 12 October 2003 and live near Maidstone in Kent.
Jordan has been dancing since the age of twelve when her school advertised for a dance club. Before dancing with James Jordan, she had danced with Przemek Lowicki in Poland. She won Poland's Open Championships in 1999 and went on to take 12th place in the following year's World Championships.
The first recorded dance by Ola Grabowska and James Jordan as a partnership was in the Dutch Open in 2000, though they did not turn professional until 2003. The couple withdrew for a while to teach Latin American dancing in Hong Kong, though they turned professional again in 2005, after missing competing. In May 2006, the couple came second in the Blackpool Professional Rising Stars Latin event, and in November they came third in the British Championships for Professional Latin.
Jordan first appeared on Strictly Come Dancing during the show's fourth series in 2006, partnering DJ Spoony. 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 while her husband James danced with Kenny's wife, TV presenter Gabby Logan. Kenny was voted out of the show on the ninth week while Gabby Logan was voted out earlier, in the fourth week. Jordan was knocked out of series 6 in week seven of the competition, with her partner GMTV presenter Andrew Castle.
In January–February 2009 Jordan danced with Kenny Logan on the Strictly Come Dancing Tour and in series 7, she partnered reporter Chris Hollins, reaching the final and beating rivals Ricky Whittle and Natalie Lowe to become the 2009 champions. 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". Jordan partnered magician Paul Daniels in the eighth season of the show; they were the second couple to be voted off. For Children in Need 2010, Jordan partnered Harry Judd from 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.