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Watch: James and Ola Jordan's surprise home transformation with baby Ella

Strictly Parenting: Read the pro dancers' latest column


ola james jordan column
Sophie Hamilton
Parenting Editor
May 28, 2021
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Parents will totally relate to Ola and James Jordan latest video diary with their baby girl Ella.

The former Strictly stars got fed up with their 14-month-old daughter taking over their lounge with her many toys, so decided to reclaim their formerly adult space.

MORE: Watch: James and Ola Jordan share sweet video of Ella's first restaurant trip

WATCH: James and Ola's video diary

In our exclusive video, we see the famous couple transforming their lounge – and sweet Ella hilariously unpacks her toys as her parents tidy up.

"The room was horrendous, it was so messy," James tells us. "We didn't even want to go in the lounge because there were toys everywhere," adds Ola.

The former professional dancers share their latest family news in our column below. From their daughter's latest sleeping habits to dancing together at home and Ella's funny Facebook incident, catch up on life with the Jordans…

ola james jordan night out

Ola and James Jordan

Taking back the lounge!

Many parents have been in this situation… you start off with a few toys in the living room and before you know it, your little angel is totally dominating your supposed 'adult room' with all their toys and playpen. James and Ola Jordan couldn't handle the situation any longer so decided to take action.

"Ella was ruling the house!" says James. "We've always been a little bit OCD, which has got much better now – we've let go."

Ola adds: "I've always said I'm not going to let my child walk around with food in their hand, and the other day I found a sausage on my carpet in the lounge! I laughed. I told my mum, she was laughing as well.

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Ella having fun on her slide 

"The lounge still isn't how I'd want it to be, but we don't have a playroom so we've got to have the toys somewhere. I'm always in the kitchen washing up so I need Ella around me."

James tells us: "We have a study which would be absolutely perfect as a playroom but we had it all fitted out with furniture. Do we destroy that? All that money that we spent on it, just for a playroom? I don't know."

MORE: James and Ola Jordan on Ella's first farm trip, her scary accident and clingy behaviour

Discussing moving house…

We ask Ola and James if they are thinking of moving house to get more space.

"James wants to move all the time," reveals Ola.

"I love moving house," he says. "I don't know what it is, I just love moving - whereas Ola doesn't. She's like, 'This is it. This is the last time we're moving'. We always do the houses up then move on. I don't know. If I saw the right place I might think about it."

Ella's reaction to the room change

So how did little Ella feel about her toys and playpen moving behind the sofas, we wonder?

"She looked really confused at the beginning," James tells us. "Yeah, she was looking around going, 'Gone, gone,' adds Ola.

"But she was alright, wasn't she?" says James. "She helped a little bit and then we'd put stuff away and she'd get it back out."

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Ella checking out the new lounge set up

In the video we see Ella react to her daddy hoovering – and she doesn't like it too much!  "Oh, she hates the hoover and she hates hairdryers as well, and the NutriBullet we've got," says mum. "Anything loud, she really doesn't like."

MORE: Baby Ella is adorable on first shopping trip with parents James and Ola Jordan - exclusive video

"She's not a jumpy baby, she just doesn't like the noise," says James.

Ola explains: "She's got a jack in the box and she laughs at it when it pops out. Whereas James at her age… apparently he would cry when it popped out. Ella's like mummy - she's hardcore."

"I'm very sensitive," James laughs.

Teaching Ella the word 'No'

As we chat on the phone, Ella walks over and pops one of her toy balls in the fireplace, which she previously couldn't reach.

James says: "I've taken all the little stones out of the fireplace, which I understand, but you've got to teach them some things. You can't babyproof literally everything – it's almost impossible. So any time she goes near the fireplace I say, 'No' firmly. We said, 'No' to her from a very early age."

"She stops. She's not too bad actually," agrees mum. "I went to my niece's house the other day and my niece said, 'Oh my god, she's such a good child,' because she didn't touch anything in their house. She was really good."

James reveals: "After 'Mama' and 'Dada,' her first word was 'No'.

Dealing with night-time wakings

We ask if Ella tends to sleep through the night and Ola tells us: "Not really. She woke up at 3.30 this morning."

"She does sometimes and other days she doesn't," explains James.

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Sweet Ella playing in her ball pit

"She seemed really hungry last night so I gave her a bottle. She couldn't wait for that bottle, she was kicking off. I gave her the bottle and straight away she fell asleep, she had the whole thing," says mum.

"Some people say, 'Oh well you shouldn't give them a bottle because they get used to it and they wake up for it,' but I don't know," adds James.

"I don't want to be up at three o'clock with a screaming child not giving her a bottle," explains Ola. "If she is that hungry, maybe she didn't eat enough in the day.

"Sometimes I don't know how much food she should be getting. It's difficult when you've never had a child then suddenly you've got this little baby running around. It was almost easier for me when she was on the bottle all the time."

"There are some foods she doesn't like, then another day I'll give her something again and she likes it, so then I'm confused."

The mobile phone incident!

We've all been there: you insist you won't give your child your phone to play with and then, oh dear, it's in their hand.

James says: "I always used to look at parents who gave their children their mobile phones and think, 'Well, why are you giving them your mobile phone - it's not for children. And then you'll complain when they smash it.' But yeah, Ella's obsessed with our mobile phones.

"She obviously sees us on them and then she wants to be on it. She knows how to swipe and do everything."

Ola reveals: "In the morning when she comes to our bed and we are still tired and she is full of beans, we give her our phone, it's so bad."

But parents often do anything for a bit of peace. "You do, you absolutely do," agrees Ola. "I suppose we never understood this."

ella jordan garden

The photo Ella posted on social media

"Yesterday Ella posted a picture on Facebook!! Basically she was on my phone with my mum and dad – they talk on Facebook Messenger. So she's walking around the house talking to them and suddenly she's gone quiet.

"She obviously switched them off, but she must have pressed something and she posted a picture on my Facebook – luckily it was a good picture of her with a ball and James was in the background!"

James adds: "Not that we've got any really bad pictures but it could have been something really unflattering!"

Dancing together at home

We all loved watching Ola and James dance on Strictly! Who remembers all those amazing catsuits Ola used to wear? We ask if the couple still dance together at home…

"We do, but only for Ella though," reveals Ola. "If the music comes on and Ella likes it, we start dancing with her."

James says their home dancing is more of a fun bop around with Ella than a Strictly samba. "Maybe some of the others (Strictly dancers) do that at home, but no, not us!" he says.

"It's funny because when I dance with Ola, Ella comes and pushes Ola away." "Yeah and she goes to her dad, like she's jealous," adds Ola. 

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Ola and James in their Strictly days

How do the former pro dancers feel when they watch the dancers on Strictly now?

"I'm just jealous that they're young and fit and hot!" says James. "I think good luck to them because I know how hard they work. Ola did it for 10 years on Strictly, I did it for eight years and danced competitively for years and years before that. Of course, we love it, but it hurts now!"

Ola agrees: "I think, oh go on and knock yourself out without that dance because I couldn't do it anymore. You wake up in the morning and feel like you've been hit like a bus!"

James' new short hairstyle

James recently shaved off his hair on camera. So how is he finding his new look – does he miss his long hair?

View post on Instagram
 

"No, not really," he tells us. "I probably won't grow it long again. I might grow it a little bit longer on top, keep it short around the sides, I don't know yet."

"It's easier though, you must admit," says Ola. "I used to find his hair in my hairbrush – it used to annoy me. I've got my hairbrush back!"

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