Strictly just good friends – stars hand in hand after Baftas
PICTURED strolling into a hotel hand-inhand after a glamorous night at the Baftas, Strictly Come Dancing winner Ore Oduba and model Laura Whitmore are clearly at ease.
Whether matters were quite so easy for Oduba the morning after is another question, for missing from the cosy photo is a key figure – his wife.
Portia Oduba had attended the Bafta TV awards at the Royal Festival Hall in London on Sunday with her BBC sports presenter husband.
But there was no sign of her later that evening as he walked through the lobby of the nearby Mondrian hotel with Miss Whitmore, 2, who competed on Strictly with him last year.
Apparently aware that he might have a little explaining to do, Oduba, 1, went on Twitter yesterday to play down the picture with the words: ‘I’ll be there to hold your hand for many years to come @the whitmore.’
The accompanying image, of the pair dancing that evening, had been posted to Miss Whitmore’s account. She had captioned it: ‘This day one year ago I met this guy @oreodubaofficial and now I have a friend... and dance floor buddy for life... love ya xx.’
In March Oduba told ITV’s Lorraine that he and his wife had barely spent ‘a day together’ over the past year because of his work commitments, which included the Rio Olympics as well as Strictly. And after the Strictly final Oduba told his dance partner Joanne Clifton ‘I love you with all my heart’.
Miss Whitmore split from her boyfriend, rock singer Rory Williams, after photos emerged of her enjoying a night out with Leonardo DiCaprio after last year’s Bafta film awards.
The Daily Mail has asked Miss Whitmore and Oduba for comment.