AJ Odudu has been a familiar face on our TV screens for over a decade, having fronted TV shows including The Big Breakfast, The Big Interiors Battle and recently E4’s Celebrity Big Brother
AJ Odudu is no stranger to the limelight, having been a regular feature on our telly boxes with shows like The Big Breakfast, Married At First Sight: Afters and The Big Interiors Battle under her belt.
The vibrant presenter is set to dazzle audiences once more as she takes the reins of Celebrity Big Brother alongside co-presenter Will Best. Anticipation is brewing for the new series that kicks off on Monday, 7th April on ITV1.
This marks AJ and Will’s second outing as hosts since ITV resurrected the beloved reality TV show last year.
As AJ gets ready to grace our living rooms again, we’re taking a cheeky peek behind the scenes at the life of the presenter when the cameras stop rolling…
AJ, 37, whose full name is Onatejiro Odudu, proudly hails from Blackburn. She was born to Nigerian parents Florence and James and is one of eight children; she has five brothers and two sisters, reports OK!.
The charismatic host is famous for her distinctive accent and has candidly opened up about it being a barrier in her early days. Chatting with Stylist, AJ confessed: “I’ve been in London for 14 years, and let me tell you when I first moved from Blackburn 14 years ago, this was not the accent to have.”
AJ graduated with a degree in English and politics from Keele University in 2009. After finishing her studies, she dived into the world of broadcasting with BBC Lancashire and quickly climbed up to score gigs on BBC Two and a plethora of other channels.
AJ struck gold in 2013 when she landed a gig on Big Brother’s Bit On The Side, presenting with Emma Willis and Rylan Clark. Since then, she’s been the face of shows like The Great Comic Relief Prizeathon, The Big Breakfast, and covered events such as Eurovision and the Platinum Jubilee Pageant.
According to reports, AJ’s career successes have racked her up an estimated net worth of £1.2million.
But AJ isn’t just about presenting she’s graced our screens on Strictly Come Dancing too. She dazzled her way to the BBC One show’s final but was gutted to bow out due to injury.
While sashaying across the Strictly dancefloor, rumours swirled that AJ and her dancing beau Kai Widdrington were an item, though nothing was ever publicly confirmed.
AJ tends to keep her personal life out of the spotlight and her relationship status is currently unknown.
However, she’s opened up here and there, like during her 2018 appearance on Manhunting With My Mum. She revealed: “All my past relationships have gone wrong. Dating apps have failed to deliver. I’ve had loads of failed relationships. Sometimes I’m just too much for them, other times they are not enough for me and a couple of times I’ve been cheated on.”
Laying it all bare on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins in 2019, AJ also revealed: “I’ve been cheated on by three ex-boyfriends. One of them was sleeping with my best friends.”
Now settled in London, AJ is more than just a TV star she’s a certified personal trainer and sports nutritionist with a serious running obsession.
Celebrity Big Brother launches on ITV1 on Monday, 7 April at 9pm
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
