Onatejiro "AJ" Odudu (born 12 February 1988)[1] is a British television presenter. She co-presents the ITV2 reality shows Big Brother (since 2023) and Celebrity Big Brother (since 2024) alongside Will Best, and previously the spin-off show Big Brother's Bit on the Side (2013). In 2021, she presented the Channel 4 reality show spin-off Married at First Sight: Afters.
AJ Odudu | |
|---|---|
 Odudu in 2015 | |
| Born | Onatejiro Odudu 12 February 1988 Blackburn, Lancashire, England, UK |
| Alma mater | Keele University |
| Occupation | Television presenter |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Employer(s) | ITV Channel 4 |
Early life and education
editOdudu was born in Blackburn, Lancashire. Her mother, Florence, and father, James, are Nigerian and she is one of eight children (five boys and three girls). Her parents had an arranged marriage, for which her mother emigrated to the United Kingdom from Nigeria in the 1970s. Her father worked as a bus conductor, and her mother worked as a seamstress, cleaner, and dinner lady at a private school.[2]
Odudu attended St Bede's RC High School and St Mary's College in Blackburn. In 2009 she graduated with a degree in English and politics from Keele University.[3]
Career
editOdudu began her career as a reporter for BBC Blast based at Radio Lancashire. Her first presenting roles began in 2009 on the BBC Two series The Almost Perfect Guide to Life[4] and on The 5:19 Show, an online show on the BBC website,[5] having previously served as the latter's 'raving reporter'.[6] In 2010, she was a guest on 100 Greatest Toys, a one-off special broadcast on Channel 4.[citation needed] She starred as herself in Comedy Lab in 2011[citation needed] and co-presented Sky Arts' coverage of the Isle of Wight Festival 2012.[4]
In June 2013, Odudu began presenting Big Brother's Bit on the Side with Rylan Clark and Emma Willis, and then Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Psych from August 2013. Her departure from the show was confirmed in November 2013, being replaced by Celebrity Big Brother 12 contestant and former Loose Women panellist, Carol McGiffin.[7] In August 2013, Odudu launched her own blog on Hello magazine's UK website.[8] From 2015 to 2019, Odudu hosted the 4Music programme Trending Live!, with Jimmy Hill and Vick Hope.[9][10]
She regularly presented the online Facebook quiz game "Confetti" in March and April 2019.[citation needed]
In July 2021, she won the second series of Celebrity Karaoke Club on ITV2. Also in that month, Odudu was confirmed as co-host of a one-off revival edition of The Big Breakfast, presenting alongside the already-announced Mo Gilligan, for Channel 4 in September 2021.[11]
In March 2022, she co-hosted The Great Comic Relief Prizeathon alongside Vernon Kay.
Odudu presented the UK jury points in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022.[12][13] In June 2022, she was a presenter for the BBC's coverage of the Platinum Jubilee Pageant.[14] On 10 January 2023, it was announced that Odudu would co-host the official handover and semi-final allocation draw for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 that will be broadcast live on BBC Two.[15]
In April 2023, it was announced that Odudu would be hosting the revival of Big Brother on ITV, alongside Will Best.[16][17] Odudu and Best have also presented the spin-off Celebrity Big Brother since its revival in 2024.[18]
Strictly Come Dancing
editFrom September 2021, she was a competitor on the nineteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing, partnered with professional dancer Kai Widdrington.[19] They topped the leaderboard in their first week with a score of 34,[20] and again in week 7, when they scored 39 for their Charleston to "Don't Bring Lulu".[21][22] The couple also jointly topped the leaderboard in the semi-final, but were forced to withdraw from the competition on 17 December, the day before the final, after Odudu tore a ligament in her right ankle.[23][24]
Personal life
editOdudu lives in southeast London. She is a qualified personal trainer and sports nutritionist, and runs in her spare time.[25][26]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | The Almost Perfect Guide to Life | Co-presenter | |
| The 5:19 Show | Co-presenter | ||
| 2010 | Teensville: Teen Witches | Presenter | |
| 2011 | Dirty Digest | Panellist | |
| Comedy Lab | Herself | ||
| 2012 | Isle of Wight Festival 2012 | Co-presenter | |
| 2013 | Big Brother's Bit on the Side | Co-presenter | |
| Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side | Co-presenter | ||
| 2015–2016 | The Hot Desk | Presenter | |
| 2018 | Manhunting with My Mum | Presenter | |
| 2019 | The Voice UK | Backstage presenter | |
| The Voice Kids | Backstage presenter | ||
| Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins | Contestant | ||
| 2020 | The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice | Series 4; Episode 1 - Herself | |
| Richard Osman's House of Games | Series 4; Episodes 16-20 - Herself | ||
| Don't Rock the Boat | Co-presenter | ||
| 2021 | Would I Lie To You? | Herself | |
| Celebrity Karaoke Club | Winner | ||
| The Wheel | Expert | ||
| Cooking with the Stars | Contestant | ||
| Rolling In It | Contestant | ||
| Apocalypse Wow | Presenter | ||
| The Big Breakfast | Co-presenter | ||
| Strictly Come Dancing | Series 19; Finalist | ||
| Married at First Sight UK: Afters | Presenter | ||
| Emma and AJ Get to Work | Co-presenter; alongside Emma Willis | ||
| 2022 | The Great Comic Relief Prizeathon | Co-presenter; alongside Vernon Kay | |
| Eurovision Song Contest 2022 | Spokesperson for the UK's votes | ||
| The Bridge: Race to a Fortune | Presenter | [27] | |
| Platinum Jubilee Pageant | Presenter | [28] | |
| Rosie Jones' Trip Hazard | Herself | [29] | |
| Red Bull Soapbox Race: London 2022 | Co-presenter; alongside Will Best | [30] | |
| The Hit List | Contestant | [31] | |
| RuPaul's Drag Race UK | Special guest; Series 4 | [32] | |
| The Last Leg: Christmas Bash | Special guest | [33] | |
| The Weakest Link | Contestant | [34] | |
| 2023 | The Big Interiors Battle | Presenter | [35] |
| Time For A Check In | Presenter | [36] | |
| Eurovision Song Contest 2023: Handover and Allocation Draw | Co-host; alongside Rylan Clark | [37] | |
| Pointless Celebrities | Contestant | [38] | |
| The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off | Herself | [39] | |
| The Greatest Auction | Host | [40] | |
| Shopping with Keith Lemon | Herself; one episode | [41] | |
| Mary Makes It Easy | Guest | [42] | |
| 2023-present | Big Brother | Co-presenter; alongside Will Best | [17] |
| Big Brother: Late & Live | |||
| 2024 | RuPaul's Drag Race UK | Guest judge; Series 6 | |
| M&S: Dress the Nation | Co-presenter; alongside Vernon Kay | [43] | |
| 2024-present | Celebrity Big Brother | Co-presenter; alongside Will Best | [17] |
| Celebrity Big Brother: Late & Live | |||
| TBC | The Big Blow Out | Host | [44] |
References
edit- ^ "A.J. Odudu". www.listal.com. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ You Magazine (5 December 2021). "AJ Odudu interview: I know now that anything is possible". YOU Magazine. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
- ^ "AJ Odudu".
- ^ a b "Blackburn's Big Brother presenter AJ Odudu is our bit on the side". This Is Lancashire. Newsquest (North West). 15 July 2013.
- ^ "The 5:19 Show". BBC Switch.
- ^ "Blackburn student lands BBC presenting job". Lancashire Telegraph. Newsquest (North West). 5 January 2009.
- ^ Hewett, Emily (27 November 2013). "Carol McGiffin lands Celebrity Big Brother job, AJ Odudu gets the chop". Metro. DMG Media. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
- ^ "Welcome to my blog!". 28 August 2013. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ Nahirny, Sam (14 September 2017). "Hanging out with the 4Music cool kids, AJ Odudu and James Hill". TMRW. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
- ^ "My TV Show". YouTube. 17 June 2017. Archived from the original on 18 December 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
- ^ "The Big Breakfast is making a comeback- and a Blackburn celeb is presenting it". Lancashire Telegraph. 28 July 2021.
- ^ BBC Eurovision [@bbceurovision] (29 April 2022). "Ciao Italia, this is SALFORD calling! @AJOdudu will be the first #Eurovision spokesperson to present the UK jury's douze points from the North West" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (29 April 2022). "United Kingdom: AJ Odudu Spokesperson for Eurovision 2022". Eurovoix. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ "AJ Odudu wears 'matching green outfit' with the Queen at Platinum Jubilee party". 6 June 2022.
- ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 2023: Handover and Allocation Draw live on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer" (Press release). BBC. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ "Big Brother confirms new hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best for 2023 return". ITVX. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ^ a b c Percival, Ash (25 April 2023). "Big Brother Presenters Confirmed As AJ Odudu And Will Best". HuffPost. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ^ Hibbs, James (25 April 2023). "Big Brother officially confirms AJ Odudu and Will Best to host reboot". Radio Times. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ^ "BBC One - Strictly Come Dancing - Kai Widdrington". BBC.
- ^ Horton, Tom (26 September 2021). "Strictly Come Dancing: AJ Odudu wows judges in first week of competition". independent. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- ^ "BBC One - Strictly Come Dancing, Series 19, Week 7". BBC.
- ^ Sigodo, Melissa (6 November 2021). "Strictly Come Dancing fans fuming as star gets 39 despite perfect comments". MyLondon.
- ^ "AJ Odudu and Kai Widdrington are unable to compete in the final". BBC. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ "Strictly Come Dancing: AJ Odudu ruled out of final with ankle injury". BBC News. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ Magazine, You (5 December 2021). "AJ Odudu interview: I know now that anything is possible". YOU Magazine. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
- ^ Sellers, Kate (13 November 2021). ""I've always got my running trainers with me!" | Interview with AJ Odudu". Women's Running. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
- ^ "The Bridge: Race to a Fortune". channel4.com. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ McGee, Sarah (6 June 2022). "AJ Odudu wears 'matching green outfit' with the Queen at Platinum Jubilee party". Lancashire Telegraph.
- ^ "Rosie Jones' Trip Hazard". channel4.com. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
- ^ "Red Bull Soapbox Race: London 2022". uktvplay.co.uk. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
- ^ "The Hit List". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- ^ "AJ Odudu is revealed to take part in Snatch Game for RuPaul's Drag Race UK". BBC. 31 August 2022. Archived from the original on 31 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ "Series 26 - Christmas Special". comedy.co.uk. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
- ^ "The Weakest Link". BBC. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ "The Big Interiors Battle". www.channel4.com. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ "Benenden Health teams up with Channel 4 to encourage Brits to check-in on their health | Channel 4". www.channel4.com. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ "Eurovision 2023 Handover and Allocation Draw - What to expect and how to watch on BBC Two and iPlayer". BBC. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
- ^ "Pointless Celebrities". BBC. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off". The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off. 7 February 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
- ^ "The Greatest Auction". channel4.com/press. 7 February 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ "Shopping with Keith Lemon". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ "Mary Makes It Easy". bbc.co.uk/iplayer. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ "M&S: Dress the Nation". radiotimes.com. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ "The Big Blow Out". www.channel4.com. Retrieved 9 June 2022.