Strictly champ Ore Oduba strips off to Pride Speedos for emotional tribute to his late non-binary sibling
The Strictly Come Dancing 2016 winner showed off the white swimming briefs in a slew of snaps posted to the platform
By Callum Wells
Ore Oduba stripped off to Pride-themed Speedos as he paid tribute to his late non-binary sibling in a moving Instagram post.
The Strictly Come Dancing 2016 winner showed off the white swimming briefs in a slew of snaps posted to the platform last week. The front was stamped with a rainbow motif while the back featured the word “Pride” in bold rainbow letters.
Alongside the images, the presenter explained the rainbow emoji on his profile, writing in his caption: “Lots of people have been asking about the rainbow in my bio. Some will say I don’t need to explain myself (and they’d be right). However in this case I’m happy to share my why. It’s maybe not why you think.”
“The colours of my rainbow look very bright today” – Ore Oduba on his late non-binary sibling
Describing a “truly difficult, stormy period”, Oduba said he’s come out the other side with a renewed outlook. “The colours of my rainbow look very bright today.”
He revealed the rainbow is a tribute to his sibling, who died in April and identified as non-binary. “In losing my sister in April the symbol of a rainbow has brought me closer to them in the times I’ve needed it desperately,” he shared.
“My sister was very proudly black and very proudly queer. Definitely an ICON to me and so many of their friends and family. In the last year of their life they identified as non-binary. My pride for them knows no bounds.”
Oduba said their journey had inspired him to embrace his own identity more fully. “In so many ways, my sister’s death gave ME a gift of life,” he said. “Having realised I’d lived the majority of my life for the attention of others, often suppressing my authentic self, my sister gave me the wake up call to live my life fully and express myself wholeheartedly.”
Final message of love
Responding to speculation about his sexuality, Oduba added: “No, not in the traditional or sexual sense. But if ‘coming out’ is about shedding a former self… then HALLELUJAH count me in!”
He signed off with a final message of love: “I will always keep your rainbow flag flying in my heart. I love you.”
Oduba’s post comes after a series of personal challenges. He separated from wife Portia Culmer last October, with whom he shares two children – Roman, seven, and Genie, four – and recently marked a year of sobriety.