TV presenter AJ Odudu is among the contestant on this year’s edition of Strictly Come Dancing.
Odudu was born in Blackburn to Nigerian parents and is one of eight children. She English and politics at Keele University.
After graduating, Odudu started as a news reporter for BBC Blast, which was a service aimed at teenagers. She began presenting in 2009 for BBC Two’s The Almost Perfect Guide to Life.
Odudu then moved on to other shows such as Comedy Lab and The 5:19 Show before being a part of Sky Arts’ coverage of the 2012 version of the Isle of Wight Festival.
Her big break came when she was named presenter of Big Brother’s Bit on the Side along with Emma Willis and Rylan Clark-Neal. She was replaced by Carol McGiffin after a year.
Odudu also branched out into writing by penning a blog for Hello magazine. Alongside Vick Hope and Jimmy Hill, Odudu also hosted Trending Live! for 4Music.
She also became a regular presenter on ITV2’S The Hot Desk, a role that has also been held by Maya Jama, Laura Whitmore and Pixie Lott.
Currently, Odudu acts as the backstage presenter on The Voice UK and The Voice Kids.
She also served as co-host alongside Mo Gilligan for the one-off revival of The Big Breakfast.
Odudu has also appeared on a number of competition programs including Celebrity Karaoke Club on ITV2 which she won.
She has also made appearances on Richard Osman’s House of Games, The Chase and Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturday nights on BBC One.
