logo
Strictly star reveals he's been an addict ‘for decades' as he opens up on feelings of ‘shame' after split from wife

Strictly star reveals he's been an addict ‘for decades' as he opens up on feelings of ‘shame' after split from wife

The Sun2 days ago
STRICTLY Come Dancing winner Ore Oduba has bravely opened up about his addiction battle for the first time.
The dad-of-two took to Instagram to share an emotional message with fans, saying he has been fighting addiction for most of his life.
4
4
4
He shared a photo of himself sitting on a train with his hand over his face, and captioned it: 'Until recently, I had spent most of my life as an addict.
'Shame was interwoven into my addictive behaviours — they went hand-in-hand.
'Through therapy and finally admitting to myself that I'd suffered from addiction pretty much my entire life, I'm so happy to share I've been 'sober' for over a year, if that is indeed how to describe my case.'
He continued: 'Despite living with it silently, secretly for decades… undiagnosed and untreated, it might well in the end have ruined my life.'
Ore, 39, said a turning point came while reading UNAPOLOGETIC by performance coach Annalie Howling, whose work on the topic of shame struck a deep chord.
'Funnily enough I didn't recognise the timing until I started reading this unbelievable book… I devoured it in a day…
'And while her expertise is on shame, pretty much every word Annalie said resonated so deeply with me that I realised I'd actually forgotten I'd made so much progress in the last 12 months.'
The presenter, who won Strictly in 2016, also reflected on a recent video he posted about being scammed.
He revealed how the experience brought up old feelings of shame but that he's now better equipped to handle them.
He added: 'I did feel ashamed of myself for being scammed, yes… but I know now how to deal with those moments of doubt and I pop that little bout of negative talk into a bin bag and throw it in the trash.
Loose Men's Ore Oduba reveals he broke down in tears yesterday while suffering his first panic attack
'I have such a much better relationship with that word now than I used to.'
Oduba also hinted that he may speak in greater detail about his experience with addiction, saying he's begun opening up to friends.
'The more I open up about it, the more compelled I feel to share it publicly one day.
'There comes a point where, once I've dealt with my demons, the most selfish thing I could do is keep it to myself. I know it'll have the power to help a lot of people.'
In October, Ore confirmed that he and wife Portia had split earlier in the year after nine years of marriage.
He said: 'Hi guys. Portia and I are sad to announce that we separated earlier this year.
'We're so grateful for all the love you've shared with us both over the years.
'And we want to thank you in advance for respecting our privacy as we navigated this difficult transition.
'We will be making no further comment. Be kind, always.'
Ore and Portia met while studying at Loughborough University in 2010 and tied the knot five years later in a romantic ceremony at Penshurst Place in Kent.
Reflecting on their big day, Ore previously told The Mirror: 'On my wedding day I cried from 11 in the morning until 2am that night.
'There's a picture of me wailing, my best men there laughing and Portia absolutely cracking up next to me — I am the only one crying.'
The presenter, who is currently starring in stage play Picture You Dead, has been open about his mental health in the past.
He shared that he suffered a panic attack before speaking on Loose Women in 2016.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Vogue readers furious after spotting 'disturbing' AI models in an ad in the prestigious magazine
Vogue readers furious after spotting 'disturbing' AI models in an ad in the prestigious magazine

Daily Mail​

time3 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Vogue readers furious after spotting 'disturbing' AI models in an ad in the prestigious magazine

It looks like fashion label Guess is not shying away from using artificial intelligence in its ad campaigns - after the brand ran a two-page spread in this month's August edition of Vogue that was 'produced' by an AI marketing company. The advertisements appeared about halfway through Vogue's August print issue, showing a woman with bouncy, long blonde hair modeling two different outfits on separate pages. The images were not part of Vogue editorial, but instead, presumably paid advertisements for the Guess brand that appeared in the famous fashion bible. In one ad, the model sat at a café table with a cup of coffee, wearing a light blue romper covered in mesh floral detailing, as well as a gold watch and necklace from the brand. The other photo depicted the same AI model in a black-and-white chevron print dress, carrying a matching Guess handbag in front of a 'shop' filled with hats in their window. In the fine print on the side of the ad, it read that the campaign was produced by 'Seraphinne Vallora on AI.' Seraphinne Vallora is an agency that designs 'editorial level AI-driven marketing campaigns and cinematic videos,' its campaigns featured not only in Vogue but also in Elle and Harper's Bazaar. On its website, London-based founders Valentina and Andreea stated that they wanted to use AI to brands' advantage. 'We want to harness the incredible power of AI to revolutionize marketing images. We realized that AI offered a cost-effective, hassle-free path to design brilliance,' the website reads. 'No more expensive travel or complicated arrangements, We wanted to make it all accessible, to companies of all sizes. 'An easy solution to market their companies without the stress and complications.' Daily Mail reached out to Guess for comment. But the advertisement didn't seem to slip past eagle-eyed fashion fans, as it went viral on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday morning. Popular account Pop Crave posted a TikTok made by user @lala4an, which showed the ad. However, Pop Crave incorrectly claimed that Vogue was using the AI models - when it was in fact Guess. But even so, it looks like many fashion fans weren't happy with the choice, as they furiously responded to the Pop Crave post. 'This is kinda sad. There's so many people who would love to be on the magazine just for them to be giving these opportunities to AI…' one user wrote. Another agreed, 'That's disturbing. This is the direction AI should not be going in... wow.' 'AI is not even sparing the fashion industry,' someone else typed. One X user pointed out, 'Great. The new beauty standard will be, literally, unobtainable because it's not real.' Others, however, thought that it was a great sign for the future. 'The future is here. Takes less time and much cheaper to make,' someone shared. Another agreed, 'Well, it's cheaper.' The advertisement comes just one year after OpenAI and Vogue's publishing parent, Condé Nast, announced a partnership together, per BBC. The deal involved allowing ChatGPT and its search engine, SearchGPT, to display content from Vogue and its other publications like GQ. The deal was reported to be multi-year.

The more comical the action at women's Euros, the more woke BBC get – one pundit's pearl of wisdom was red card offence
The more comical the action at women's Euros, the more woke BBC get – one pundit's pearl of wisdom was red card offence

Scottish Sun

time4 hours ago

  • Scottish Sun

The more comical the action at women's Euros, the more woke BBC get – one pundit's pearl of wisdom was red card offence

A SIMPLE equation is at play with the BBC and ITV's coverage of the women's Euros – the ­funnier the football gets, the more earnest the pundits must become. To the point, when things go really haywire, they sound more like they're dissecting Garry Kasparov versus the Deep Blue chess computer than the latter stages of a football tournament. 7 BBC's pundits during the England/Sweden game 7 Pundit Gabby Logan for BBC Sport Credit: Instagram/gabbylogan 7 Ian Wright during ITV's coverage of England/Italy semi-final Credit: Pixel8000 A sly reference to the exquisite mayhem of the England/Sweden penalty shoot-out, in Zurich, on BBC1, which has to be a contender for the...

Why TV dance star made last-minute withdrawal from live show
Why TV dance star made last-minute withdrawal from live show

The Independent

time7 hours ago

  • The Independent

Why TV dance star made last-minute withdrawal from live show

Janette Manrara, a former Strictly Come Dancing professional, was forced to pull out of a live performance of the musical Chicago on Wednesday, 23 July. Manrara is currently starring as Roxie Hart in the UK tour of Chicago, which is performing at Blackpool's Winter Gardens. She announced on Instagram that she was "unwell" and needed to rest to recover quickly, expressing deep apologies to the audience. Manrara reassured fans that she is "on the mend" and hopes to return to the stage soon, praising the rest of the cast for their performance. Since leaving her professional dancing role on Strictly in 2021, Manrara has co-presented the spin-off show It Takes Two.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store