Ola Jordan returns to Strictly Come Dancing's It Takes Two 11 years after leaving BBC show

Ola Jordan is returning to the Strictly Come Dancing family as a guest on It Takes Two, 11 years after ending her decade-long career as a professional dancer on the BBC competition. According to The Mirror, the 44-year-old former Glitterball champion was announced as a member of the programme's Friday Panel, alongside former Strictly contestant Sarah Hadland and Dr Ranj.

Ola Jordan Strictly Come Dancing return key facts

Detail	What has been confirmed
Returning star	Ola Jordan, 44, according to The Mirror
Programme	Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two
Appearance	Friday Panel during Week 3
Fellow panellists	Sarah Hadland and Dr Ranj
Other announced guests	Graeme, Tabby and Delta
Strictly career	Ten years as a professional dancer, ending in 2015
Glitterball victory	Won in 2009 with sports reporter Chris Hollins
Personal announcement	Ola and James Jordan previously confirmed they were taking time apart

When is Ola Jordan returning to Strictly's It Takes Two

Jordan's appearance was confirmed at the end of Thursday's edition of It Takes Two, according to The Mirror. The announcement named the former professional dancer among the guests taking part in the Friday Panel during the programme's third week.

The programme's presenters confirmed the line-up, saying: "On Friday’s Week 3 It Takes Two: Graeme, Tabby and Delta. On the Friday Panel: former pro Ola Jordan, Strictly Alumni Sarah Hadland and Dr Ranj."

The announcement establishes Jordan's involvement as a panellist on the companion programme rather than as a returning professional dancer in the main Strictly Come Dancing competition.

The Mirror described her appearance as a return to Strictly more than a decade after she left the dancing contest. Her participation brings a former champion back into the programme's wider television coverage.

Jordan will appear alongside Sarah Hadland, identified in the announcement as a Strictly alumna, and Dr Ranj. The same announcement also names Graeme, Tabby and Delta among the Friday programme's guests.

The confirmed details concern a Friday Panel appearance. The Mirror did not establish that Jordan would be returning to the programme on a permanent basis or taking on an additional presenting or professional dancing role.

Why did Ola Jordan leave Strictly Come Dancing in 2015

Jordan ended her time as a Strictly Come Dancing professional in 2015 after ten years on the programme, according to The Mirror. Her departure brought to an end a lengthy association with the BBC competition.

It confirmed the date of her departure and the duration of her Strictly career, but did not attribute that decision to any particular event or disagreement.

Her appearance on It Takes Two therefore marks a return to the wider Strictly television format after 11 years away from the professional dancing line-up. The Friday Panel provides a different role from the one she held during her years competing with celebrity partners.

The announcement also gives viewers the opportunity to see a former professional associated with one of the programme's past winning partnerships. Jordan's history on the competition includes a Glitterball victory that remains a defining achievement of her Strictly career.

Who did Ola Jordan win Strictly Come Dancing with

Jordan won Strictly Come Dancing in 2009 with sports reporter Chris Hollins, according to The Mirror. The pair secured the Glitterball trophy during Jordan's time as one of the show's professional dancers.

The victory was identified by The Mirror as a standout moment in her decade on the competition. It remains a significant part of the professional record that she brings to her latest appearance on It Takes Two.

Jordan's return offers a connection with that earlier period of Strictly Come Dancing. The Friday Panel announcement specifically introduces her as a former professional, drawing on her established association with the competition.

Her winning partnership with Hollins is the principal competitive achievement highlighted in The Mirror's coverage. The account does not provide additional competition results or a year-by-year record of her other celebrity partnerships.

Jordan's previous experience is relevant to the nature of her new appearance because the Friday Panel brings together guests with different connections to Strictly. In the announced line-up, she is identified through her former professional role, while Sarah Hadland is identified through her status as a Strictly alumna.

What Ola Jordan and James Jordan said about their separation

Jordan's return follows a period of personal change that she and fellow ballroom professional James Jordan addressed publicly earlier in the year. According to The Mirror, the couple confirmed that they were spending time apart after 22 years of marriage.

The publication reported that Ola and James had been together for 26 years. News of their separation became public in August, when the couple shared a joint statement through their Instagram accounts.

In that statement, they said they were "taking some time apart as we work through very difficult personal challenges." The wording established that the couple were dealing with private difficulties without providing a detailed account of the circumstances involved.

Their statement also addressed their responsibilities as parents. According to The Mirror, Ola and James said their "shared priority" remained co-parenting their daughter, Ella.

The couple's own words provide the confirmed position concerning their separation. Their statement did not establish a final outcome for their relationship, and no later joint statement has been reported.

Jordan's latest professional appearance is therefore being announced after a publicly acknowledged period of personal difficulty. Her participation in the Friday Panel is confirmed independently of any speculation about the couple's private circumstances.

Is Ola Jordan returning as a professional dancer on Strictly

The confirmed announcement is for a Friday Panel appearance on It Takes Two, not a place in the professional dancing line-up of Strictly Come Dancing. According to The Mirror, the programme's presenters specifically introduced Jordan as a former professional.

This distinction is important because Jordan's previous role involved competing on the main programme, while her newly announced appearance is as one of several panellists on its companion show.

Nothing in the announcement indicates that she has been assigned a celebrity partner or is resuming her former competitive position.

Jordan's participation is nonetheless a return to the Strictly television family, allowing a former professional and champion to appear again in programming associated with the competition she left in 2015.

The Friday Panel line-up also demonstrates that her appearance will be shared with other guests rather than presented as a standalone return to the main dance floor. Sarah Hadland and Dr Ranj are the other named panellists.

What Ola Jordan's It Takes Two comeback means for her career

Jordan's latest appearance reconnects her with the programme that occupied ten years of her professional dancing career. According to The Mirror, her departure in 2015 followed a lengthy period as a Strictly professional, including her 2009 championship success.

The announcement places that experience within the companion programme's Friday Panel format. It is a confirmed television appearance that draws on her history with Strictly without establishing a broader return to competition.

The Mirror's account identified Jordan's comeback as particularly notable because more than a decade has passed since she left the main series. Her earlier success with Hollins remains the clearest example of her achievements during that period.

Her appearance also follows the joint personal announcement made with James Jordan earlier this year. The couple's statement confirmed their decision to spend time apart while continuing to prioritise their daughter.

Beyond the Friday Panel, no additional Strictly commitments for Jordan were confirmed in The Mirror's coverage. The immediate news is that viewers will once again see the former champion as part of the programme's associated television coverage.

Frequently asked questions

When is Ola Jordan appearing on Strictly Come Dancing's It Takes Two?

According to The Mirror, Jordan was announced for the Friday Panel during Week 3 of It Takes Two. The announcement was made at the end of Thursday's programme and named Sarah Hadland and Dr Ranj as her fellow panellists.

When did Ola Jordan last compete on Strictly Come Dancing?

Jordan ended her ten-year career as a Strictly professional in 2015, according to The Mirror. She previously won the Glitterball trophy with sports reporter Chris Hollins in 2009.

Have Ola Jordan and James Jordan separated?

The Mirror reported that the couple issued a joint statement in August confirming they were taking time apart after 22 years of marriage. They said they were working through difficult personal challenges and that co-parenting their daughter, Ella, remained their shared priority.