Strictly’s Ore Oduba’s wife hinted at trouble in their marriage - six years before split

Strictly Come Dancing's Ore Oduba's wife Portia hinted at 'hard' times in their marriage just days after she gave birth to the couple's first child as he had to go back to work

Strictly Come Dancing star Ore Oduba's wife Portia shared with fans that her marriage was "hard" - six years before their split was announced.

The couple, who share two adorable children together, decided to call time on their nine year marriage earlier this year. But it looks as though the writing was on the wall as Portia shared with fans how difficult it was for her to deal with the fact, her husband left the family home to embark on the Strictly tour in 2018.

Just a week after she gave birth to their first child, she shared a picture of Ore lovingly holding his son Roman. And she accompanied the snap with a caption that read: "Bye bye daddy see you really soon… Today daddy goes on tour with @strictlycomedancinglive."

She then went on to explain how difficult it was going to be without him, as she said: "Feeling emotional and hormones are everywhere but we are lucky to have an amazingly supportive family looking after us. Partners going back to work is hard isn't it!?" So it may come as no surprise that the couple announced they had ended their marriage earlier this week.

Ore, 38, who made his name as TV presenter on shows including Newsround, posted a message on social media that 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."

He added: "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 first met in 2010 and soon fell in love while at Loughborough university.

And four years later he popped the question - and she said yes. The couple married in 2015 at Penshurst Place in Kent. Speaking of their nuptials, Ore told us previously: "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."

By 2018, three years after their wedding ceremony, the couple welcomed the arrival of their first child Roman. This was then followed by their daughter who was born in 2021, named Genie. In 2016, Ore held up the glitterball along with his Strictly Come Dancing professional dance partner, Joanne Clifton.

At the time, he claimed the experience helped his marriage and the infamous Strictly curse, which has seen the end to some relationships, was not an issue he needed to deal with. He told The Sun back then: "For us, it brought us closer together but it's not easy for some people. It's a bubble. If people dear to you are not there, factions can occur."

And in another interview he told the publication: "The show is so 24/7 and I didn’t want Portia to feel like an outsider. The three of us went out for dinner and bowling together. I won. But Portia and Jo got on so brilliantly, I was the third wheel! If anything, the curse has stolen my wife because I feel left out when we all hang out together."

He continued: "I really couldn’t have been more fortunate than to get two brilliant blonde bombshells in my life." Since his win on Strictly, Ore then moved into the world of West End theatre productions including Grease and Pretty Woman, which he has only just finished touring around the UK.

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