on the other hand, devastating ankle injury may have meant AJ OduduThe otherwise “magical” stint of strict come dancing It didn’t have a fairytale ending, but it still proved to be a defining chapter in her own wider story.
The TV host has been busier than ever since appearing on Strictly in 2021, after appearing on shows like The Bridge, The Big Blow Out, and Resurrection. The Big Breakfast In the last year alone, AJ has been tied to one of the biggest jobs on TV.
Rumors are currently swirling that she will be confirmed as ITV2’s next host older brother With the reboot (more on that later), the Blackburn-born star shines as she looks back on the show that was a turning point in her career.
“I look back on it as a really fun memory,” she says of her experience at Strictly. “Not only for me, but also for others.
“It was great to be stopped in the street and have someone have an emotional response to the dance I danced to and the song I danced to. It was just a maniac, and I loved those days. ”
AJ is now preparing to attend the second Red Nose Day telethon. Zoe Ball, Paddy McGuinness, Joel Dommett and David Tennant This Friday, lead the annual Comic Relief fundraiser – one of them AJ still can’t believe she works with him.
“I grew up watching the show and the people, so when I walk on stage with Zoe Ball, I’m like, ‘Excuse me?’ She describes the Radio 2 Breakfast Show host as her “icon.”
“I first met Zoe when we were working together at a festival on the Isle of Wight in 2013 or 2014 and she brought me a cake and complimented me on my ass. rice field.
“Oh my God, I remember Zoe Ball saying I had a nice ass! We’re going to be best friends forever. She’s really having fun.”
AJ promises Comic Relief this year. Kylie Minogue Make an unlikely appearance as a special ghost love island sketch and France and Sanders Send Claudia Winkleman and Traitor -It will be a “really pleasing spectacle” for “incredible reasons”.
“Being a part of it is very special,” she adds.
Speaking via Zoom, you can see AJ’s gorgeous living room in the background. This doesn’t look out of place on her new show The Big Interiors Battle.
In the upcoming Channel 4 series, eight aspiring interior designers get the chance to renovate their apartments in hopes of winning a life-changing award.
“They have never owned real estate in their lives and the final winner gets the apartment they finished with no mortgage!” explains AJ. “We took over this old cutlery factory and developed it into these incredible loft apartments.
“The way they are leaving the show is very brutal. However, if they do not perform the task, they will be permanently locked out of the apartment. ”
“I’m not in charge of that!” AJ quickly adds. “Dara Huangour judge, an award-winning designer and architect, is grand, but she takes no prisoners.
The show is a perfect fit for AJ, who has previously documented his passion for interiors and home remodeling. Instagram account She launched after purchasing her first property.
She’s less confident about how she’ll fare on the show, but admits that she’s prone to some disasters on her DIY journey.
“I’m the type of person who procrastinates for years, but when I wake up, I’m like, ‘I need to get it all done.’ today“So I just started doing it,” admits AJ.
“Outside, I I got a pergola, so I got some bamboo and put it on top to make it shady and canyon-like.INailed it to the top of the beam and then I ran out of bamboo. Measure! I have to do the math! I went to B&Q his 3rd time that day. So my DIY disaster is based on lack of preparation. ”
If reports are to be believed, we’ll see more of AJ on screen later this year, as he’s already claimed to have signed a deal to follow in his footsteps. Davina McCall and Emma Willis As the new host of Big Brother.
The iconic reality show will return to television in the fall after five years on the air. This time he’s on ITV2, previously airing on both Channel 4 and Channel 5, but landing the top job is like a full-circle moment for AJ.
She’s no stranger to the Big Brothers franchise and was hired to co-host the spin-off show Bit on the Side. Rerun Clark In 2013, it was only dropped by bosses after one series.
ITV has so far remained silent on speculation over a new host. AJ hasn’t exactly denied the rumorsdescribing the speculation as “very exciting.”
“I feel like Big Brother’s stance is really coming to full force. It’s unbelievable!” she says.
“This cameo appearance Sketch of Saturday Night Takeawayand I appear in it Davina McCallTwitter went mad saying, “Oh my god, AJ committed the murder” [in the Murder At Bigwig Manor sketch]and she’s about to kill Davina, and that’s why she’s [Big Brother] host! ‘ I was like, ‘Okay, wow guys, you really went there. ”
“I take everything with a pinch of salt. Who knows? You just have to wait and see,” teases AJ.
“I’m excited even from a viewer’s perspective, so it’s great that everyone is excited that the show is back.
Viewers recently saw AJ reunite with Rylan on-screen, eurovision After working together for the first time, the pair remained good friends.
“It was fun!” she says, returning to TV with her former co-host. “I think it’s great to work with people who are passionate about the show you’re doing. He loves Eurovision and I love Eurovision, so it’s actually super It was really nice just being around the fans.
“We went out to Liverpool and oh my god, that city knows how to party! Even on a Tuesday night‘” she said, hinting at what Eurovision fans can expect in May when Liverpool hosts a song contest.
After serving as UK spokesperson for last year’s Live Finals, AJ was asked to co-organize the draw and reveal the results of the jury vote.
“I was basically in the green box,” she recalls. “We were broadcasting live to everyone’s country and everyone is against green screens. We were all in what could only be described as a group Zoom chat that was bananas.
“Everybody from different time zones is in tune. We’re getting so much talkback and interference. It’s crazy.”
One of AJ’s proudest moments last year was when she unveiled The Big Breakfast’s latest full line-up. Mo Gilligan during the summer. The two originally revived Anarchy as his one-off show in 2021 as part of Channel 4’s Black To Front project, which also won a coveted Royal Television Society award.
“It was very interesting to be with something that is essentially a Hollywood actor. Daniel Kaluuya oh my god it’s barry EastEnders!’ This is one of the most surreal shows I’ve ever worked on. Very fun and very energetic.I hope you’ll come back,” she said, revealing her former host Dennis Van Oten When she made a guest appearance on the show, she was also “very kind and supportive” taking her turn in the presenter’s chair.
“When I was on TV with Denise, I thought, ‘This is Inception, what’s going on?!'” she laughs.
James Vacie/Shutterstock
There’s no word at this time on whether The Big Breakfast will return (we hope so!), but AJ is above all.
“Pray for that too,” she says. “Given the fact that I’ve been through this difficult road with ups and downs in my career, I really embrace every job and enjoy every moment of it. Otherwise I had a great time doing it and that’s how I like to take it now.
With all of her recent success, it’s hard to believe that AJ has given up on television entirely after her time on Big Brother’s Bit on the Side ended nearly a decade ago.
In the past, she has been candid about her struggles in the industry in the years since, and the challenges and rejections she faced.Hen.so Now, looking like he’s about to land the biggest hosting gig ever, what was AJ telling himself back then?
“Keep pushing and pushing, everything will be fine,” she says. “There’s nothing I haven’t heard from her mom and really supportive friends and family yet, but there are days when I’m like, ‘Will that happen?’
“That perseverance really needs to be put into action, it has to dig deep and keep going.
“Know that you will end up smiling.”
Watch AJ Odudu host Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day telethon on BBC One on Friday 17th March at 7pm.
