Ore Oduba visibly emotional after opening up about loss of his sister

TV presenter Ore Oduba appeared emotional after opening up about the loss of his sister, and shared that he will be running the London Marathon in their honour.

The broadcaster, 39, best known for presenting CBBC’s news shows Newsround and Sportsround, lost his sister, Lola, earlier this year after they took their own life.

Speaking on ITV’s Loose Women, Oduba was visibly upset when he began talking about his sister, describing Lola as “courageous” and “brave”.

He said: “My sister has been with me every single day.

“Soon after they passed, friends who had lost family members said, ‘You just wait, you wait for their signs, you won’t believe what you’re seeing.’

“Pretty much every other day, my sister has been there, guiding me, leading me.

“I feel finally now able to live a version of my life that is going to take me through the rest of it, because I know that, sadly, my sister, who took their life, was unable to do it in their time, and it made me go, there is no way I’m going back when I know that there’s only one way to go forward.”

The broadcaster also shared that he will be running the London Marathon in honour of his sister, adding that it is the one thing he is “most terrified to do” in his life.

He said: “They loved running. They struggled, actually, they became obsessed with it, and ended up getting in quite a lot of chronic pain. And they did a lot for us as a family that made me go, you were so courageous, so brave, that I know that the one thing I thought I was incapable of doing, I have to take on.

“I haven’t decided the charity, but they wanted it to be for black people, for queer people, and for women, and so I’m going to find whatever combination I can.

“I will speak about my sister until my dying day. I’m grateful to be in a place where I can share that.

“We’ve all lost, and sometimes it feels difficult to share that with other people, because we think there’s going to be too much, or we think that they won’t understand.

“We’ve all lost. And actually, to be in a place where you can feel like we’re doing it together is really empowering.”

Oduba is set to star in a production of Mel Brooks’ musical Young Frankenstein at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester from October 10 until November 30.

He is also known for appearing on the likes of BBC Breakfast, ITV’s This Morning and Match Of The Day Kickabout, and won the 14th series of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2016 alongside professional dance partner Joanne Clifton.

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