James Jordan issues heartbreaking statement after death of ‘great friend’ and ‘legend’: ‘Never forgotten’
Former Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing On Ice star James Jordan, 46, has revealed the death of a close friend over the weekend.
The professional dancer shared the sad news of his friend Andy’s passing on social media on Monday.
Jordan was a professional dancer on BBC Strictly Come Dancing on 2006 and left the show in 2013. He also became champion of the rink in 2019’s series of ITV Dancing on Ice.
Andy was described as a respected figure in the dance community, with Jordan expressing his grief over the sudden loss of his “great friend”.
The 46-year-old dancer took to Instagram to share the devastating news with his followers, prompting an outpouring of support from the dance community.
In his heartfelt social media tribute, Jordan wrote: “On Saturday I lost a great friend. He was a Legend in our dance world but more importantly a legend as a friend.”
Jordan then revealed that friends from across the globe gathered virtually to honour Andy’s memory and share stories about his life.
He explained: “Last night a group of us got together on a call from all over the world – Hong Kong, Ireland and England to raise a glass and swap stories.”
An image also shared on Jordan’s story was a screenshot from the video call which showed participants joining from various locations, united in their remembrance.
Jordan is seen at home, while another friend joined from their bed, as the group raised their glasses in tribute to their departed friend.
Jordan concluded his tribute with the poignant words: “He will be missed by many but never forgotten RIP Andy.”
The dancer also recently shared his thoughts on the new series of Dancing on Ice, which began on Sunday.
The 46-year-old predicted this years outing will “mix things up” for the show.
“I know that Dancing on Ice have got a new producer this year, who I’ve worked with before, and I know he’s very good at what he does, so I would imagine he’s got lots of things lined up to mix it up a bit,” he predicted while speaking to The Mirror.
The former star also shared his thoughts on the new series’ contestants: Ferne McCann, Mollie Pearce, Sir Steve Redgrave, Sam Aston, Charlie Brooks, Josh Jones, Anton Ferdinand, Chelsee Healey, Dan Edgar, Chris Taylor and Michaela Strachan
While not all of the hopefuls have danced yet, with Brooks, Edgar, Jones, Pearce and Redgrave still to perform, Jordan also made a prediction about who will find success.
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“I do believe that age plays a big factor in fear. When you’re younger, you’re a bit more fearless, whereas when you’re slightly older you’re constantly thinking that you’’re going to break a bone if you fall,” he explained.
The 46-year-old admitted: “I kind of rule out some of the older ones from winning. It’s much easier for the younger ones because they’re more fearless.”
Several of the series 2025 contestants have expressed concerns about the risk on injury and not being quite as young as they used to be.
“I’m of an age where it takes longer for me to mend so the thought of injury does concern me,” Michaela Strachan, 58, conceded.
Sir Steve Redgrave also said: “I’m starting from a very low level, probably lower than everybody else due to my age.”