From Polish dance champion to British television star: the career of Ola Jordan
In short: Aleksandra Jordan, known as Ola, transformed from a young Polish dance prodigy into a household name on British television. Her journey spans professional ballroom championships, a decade-long tenure on Strictly Come Dancing, and various reality television appearances. Discover how a school dance club advertisement launched a career that captivated millions.
Born in 1982, Aleksandra Grabowska began dancing at age ten after her school promoted a local club. By 1999, she had won Poland's Open Championships, eventually placing 12th in the World Championships the following year. Her professional trajectory shifted significantly after she moved to England and partnered with James Jordan. The pair married in 2003, forming a formidable duo in the competitive ballroom circuit, including a third-place finish in the 2006 British Championships for Professional Latin.
Jordan is most widely recognized for her role as a professional dancer on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, where she competed from 2006 to 2015. Her most notable success occurred in 2009, when she and her partner, sports reporter Chris Hollins, won the series and the coveted Glitter Ball trophy. Throughout her tenure, she partnered with a diverse array of celebrities, ranging from rugby player Kenny Logan to actor Sid Owen and wildlife expert Steve Backshall. Her time on the show concluded after the thirteenth series in 2015.
Beyond the ballroom, Jordan’s career has been marked by both high-profile television appearances and personal challenges. She participated in reality shows like I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and served as a judge on the Polish version of Dancing with the Stars between 2018 and 2019. Her life outside the spotlight included significant fertility struggles, leading to the birth of her daughter via IVF in 2020. In August 2026, it was announced that she and James Jordan had separated after nearly 23 years of marriage, marking the end of a long-standing personal and professional partnership.
Jordan's career also faced physical setbacks, most notably a knee ligament injury sustained during training for the Channel 4 series The Jump in 2014. This required surgery and forced her to withdraw from both the competition and the finale of Strictly Come Dancing that year. Despite these challenges, her influence on dance television remains a significant chapter in the history of the genre, bridging the gap between competitive professional dancing and mainstream entertainment.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Ola Jordan
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