Strictly’s James Jordan breaks silence after bullying accusations about wife Ola

James Jordan has responded to allegations that his wife Ola was "difficult to work with" when she partnered with explorer Steve Backshall over a decade ago. His experiences as a naturalist saw him fight off poisonous snakes and dive with sharks before partnering up with Ola - but when he did, claims were made that she became "rude and patient" as he failed to master steps for a Charleston dance.

Steve reportedly made a complaint to the BBC in 2014 as claims emerged that she'd been "cold, rude and tough" during training and it is thought that he was given a chaperone during rehearsals to avoid being alone with her. However, husband James - who is also known for his sometimes caustic comments - laughed off the suggestion that he was "living in fear of" his wife.

He reposted a sarcastic comment from a fan joking: "@The_OlaJordan stands 5'4" tall and weighs the same as a Pringle packet, she can reduce hardened explorers to tears. She's the dance floor assassin @bbcstrictly and we need a fund me page for poor @The_JamesJordan who must live in terror daily."

James seemed to have found the comment amusing, as he screenshotted it before reposting it on Instagram Stories with a distressed face emoji and the words: "Please!!! Someone help me!" Meanwhile, it is understood that Steve struggled with aspects of Strictly due to previous injuries.

A fused ankle he suffered during a 2008 climbing accident which almost killed him left him struggling to point his left toe, making dancing more difficult. He told the Daily Mail at the time that he was "falling apart" due to "constant" agony and was on painkillers throughout the series.

"It has absolutely broken me. You are training all day long on hard wooden floors wearing dance shoes that have no give in them at all, and no cushioning," he exclaimed.

"The impact travels straight all the way through my body and I'm just falling apart."

However, his experience resurfaced due to the scrutiny the BBC show has been under in recent months.

First, Amanda Abbington accused Giovanni Pernice of being "cruel" and "harsh" when he partnered her in 2023 and other previous partners came forward to complain too.

Then Graziano di Prima admitted to kicking his 2023 partner Zara McDermott during training sessions, after being fired from the show for gross misconduct.

The scandal intensified, putting the future of the show in doubt and leading to reports that Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman could end up stepping down as hosts.

Meanwhile, James and Ola are known to have a playful relationship with one another, exchanging jokey insults.

On one occasion, he caused a stir by suggesting he fancied his wife more when she was slim and on another, he took to Instagram to poke fun at her driving skills, claiming that "women can't drive".

However, the words between the pair are consensual banter.