Strictly star Ola Jordan reveals how her husband picks her skimpy outfits, why she thinks Alesha makes the perfect judge and who she secretly dreams of dancing with. By Rachel Corcoran

Ola Jordan’s at it again –  causing a stir with that barely-there cobweb dress on Strictly.

Her skin-tight catsuit on last year’s show  sparked uproar, but Ola’s still out to raise eyebrows with her revealing outfits.

She even lets her husband, fellow dancer James Jordan, choose them for her – and yes, that catsuit was his idea!

But of course the skimpy costumes aren’t the only things hitting the headlines this year.

New judge Alesha Dixon has come in for criticism after  replacing Arlene Phillips, provoking an ageism row. Ola isn’t having any of it though.

“I’m really loving this series,” beams Ola, who moved from her homeland of Poland to England to dance with James 10 years ago.

“I love Alesha. I met her when she danced on Strictly and she’s a lovely girl.

“She got the job, why shouldn’t she take it? I think she’s brilliant, I like her as a person and am really supportive of her because it’s unfair she’s had a hard time.

“Strictly changes the professional dancers every year so why not change the judges too? It’s what’s best for the show.

“Alesha does know what everyone’s going through too. You can’t explain what it’s like to come out on the dance floor.

“The nerves and the adrenalin are so high because you know you’re on a huge live show and there are so many millions of people watching you.

“The other judges don’t know what it’s like. They just sit there and talk and don’t have to perform whereas Alesha won it.

“Don’t get me wrong, I think the judges are great.

“We all love Len and Bruno and love to hate Craig. But he’s a lovely guy and is brilliant with his comments. I kind of agree with him sometimes!”

This year Ola’s dancing with BBC Breakfast News sports presenter Chris Hollins, and  hoping to get better results than previous years with the likes of Spoony, Kenny Logan and GMTV’s Andrew Castle.

“When it comes to dancing ability, Chris is one of the best ones I’ve had,” says Ola, who celebrated her 27th birthday last month.

“Chris is a natural if it’s dancing in a nightclub but when it comes to picking up the steps, he can’t get them at all.

“But I still think he could be OK and I’m hoping I’ll get a bit further this year. To the final maybe!

“I really get on with Chris and wouldn’t want to change him.” Unless Peter Andre decided to take part in the competition, that is.

“I would love to have Peter as a dance partner!” Ola grins. “I think he’d be a brilliant dancer. 

“Don’t tell James! I would love to convince him to do Strictly – and dance with me! It might make Jordan jealous and maybe James a little bit as well!”

The couple are used to the rumours about them and their dance partners. There’s been speculation in each series, with Joe Calzaghe and Kristina Rihanoff said to be an item this year and even comments about James and his partner, actress Zoe Lucker, wanting to take their dancing to the bedroom.

“How stupid is that?” Ola gasps. “No way, never in a million years! He’d never leave me! We’ve got a really strong relationship. I trust him more than anything and he trusts me.”

But Ola understands how dancers can be attracted to each other. In fact she met James on the dance floor.

“James and I hit it off straight away, but he had a girlfriend at the time. A year later we got together and that’s it, we’re still together nine years later.
“So I can understand it when dancers hit it off because that’s what happened to us.
 
“You get very close and spend so many hours together training. If you like each other and the chemistry’s there,   it will happen.”
And it’s her man James who gives her the confidence to wear such skimpy outfits.

“He chooses my outfits and helps design them. My catsuit was his idea and the rumba dress this series. You can tell it was a man’s idea!

“He knows what works for me though and I trust his opinion. James doesn’t give me many compliments so I always know I look good because he’ll tell me.”

But even Ola admits there are parts of her body she’d like to change. “I’m actually quite shy and not that confident in my body,” admits 5ft 4in Ola, whose weight fluctuates between a size 6 and 8 between shows.

“There are a lot of things I’d love to change, especially my skin which gets lots of horrible spots. And my feet, which are ugly dancer’s feet with bunions.

“As a dancer you’re always surrounded by skinny girls so you always look at your body and want it to be better.

“I wish there was a magic pill to keep you trim but it’s all down to what you eat and drink and how much you exercise and, unfortunately, I love my food.”

So how does spending so much time together affect her marriage?

“We separate dancing from our relationship,” says Ola, who lives with James in a small village in Kent. “If we argue on the dance floor, we don’t take it home. If we argue at home, we don’t take it on the dance floor.

“Neither James or I are party animals. Some people say we’re boring because our perfect night is staying at home and watching a movie with a takeaway.

“We just like spending time together at home. He’s not romantic though – in fact he’s a very unromantic person!”

The couple have been married for six years but they don’t plan to have kids any time soon. For now their priority is dancing.

“ James and I can’t wait to have children but it’s not the right time,”she explains. “I couldn’t have a child and do Strictly.

“I want to be able to focus on my baby. So in a few years’ time maybe. We don’t want to sacrifice having children for our careers.”

So who does she think is her biggest competition this year?

“Ricky’s the one to beat at the moment, isn’t he? He’s a natural. Ali’s really good too and Laila’s a dark horse. You have to watch out for everyone, to be honest.”

One thing Ola has made a bet on however, is Chris having a spray tan.

“I bet Chris £50 at the start of the competition that he’d get a spray tan done – and he is!” Ola grins.

“All the girls get a spray tan once a week and now the boys are having them too, that’s official! They’re queuing up for them.

“James and I were late for something recently because we were waiting for Brendan’s tan to dry!

“Maybe Brucie secretly does too, I don’t know!”

Strictly Come Dancing: Saturday liveblog

There's only so much entertainment that can be had from terrible dancing, boxing puns and fake machismo. Join me from 7pm on Saturday to find out how Joe Calzaghe (and the rest) get on

Joe Calzaghe and Kristina Rihanoff, competing together in Strictly Come Dancing. Photograph: BBC/Press Association

It's felt a little as if Strictly has struggled to find its feet this year – too many couples meaning there's a lot of chaff to sift before the show really gets going. And then there's been the non-stop controversies: Anton Du Beke – and later this week Bruce – making ill-advised off-screen remarks. I shan't repeat them here – if you're interested in joining that particular debate you'll find it here – but it does seem that the BBC's persistence in protecting their man indicates that, as his competing days draw to a close and certain other big-name presenters think about retiring, he's lined up for great things in the not-too-distant future. Yes, even greater than Hole In The Wall.

In the meantime, he and Laila Rouass are still in the competition, along with a dozen other couples. (For those flicking between Strictly and The X Factor, by the way, Anna Pickard is liveblogging that here) Ricky Whittle has emerged as the clear favourite in the opening weeks, with Ali Bastian running him close, and in terms of dance quality the Hollyoaks pair are looking near-unbeatable. Jade Johnson's gazelle-like gait is translating well in the ballroom, Zoe Lucker is forming a sparky partnership with James Jordan, and Chris Hollins may yet recover his first-week form. Ricky Groves has potential as long as pro partner Erin Boag doesn't get sidetracked into gimmicks – let's hope that last week's comedy paso doble doesn't signal a descent towards dancing with blow-up dolls.

I'm hoping for a Joe Calzaghe knock-out this week. There's only so much entertainment to be had from terrible dancing, boxing puns and fake machismo. Last week was a ridiculous case in point as Calzaghe bragged about not having to do the "girly" quickstep and instead dancing the "manly" paso – while wearing a sequinned belt in the image of a boxing title and twirling a cape with his name picked out in rhinestones emblazoned across it.

Join me from 7pm this Saturday to see if I get my wish, and to see how else the BBC intend to pack two and a quarter hours of scheduling.