Copyright metro
TV star Ore Oduba has been candid about how deep his porn addiction ran (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock) Ore Oduba has opened up about the financial extremes of his debilitating porn addiction that took over his life for 30 years. The 39-year-old TV personality, who shot to national fame as Strictly Come Dancing winner in 2016, shared the private struggle he has been facing for decades earlier this week. In a recent interview, he explained that his dysfunctional relationship with porn started as early as nine years old when he was shown an explicit image by his friend’s older brother. After hiding his addiction out of ‘shame’ for several years, the breakdown of his marriage with ex-wife Portia Jetts last year, a series of family deaths, and concern for the future of his two young children – son Roman, seven, and daughter Genie, four – encouraged him to speak out. After sharing his concerns about the reception to this confession, the former Newsround host has taken to social media to thank fans for their overwhelming support. In an Instagram story he wrote: ‘Erm sorry if I take a sec to reply to anyone today… currently in a state of shock and overwhelm. Oduba shared his gratitude to fans on Instagram (Picture: Instagram/ Ore Oduba) ‘Just thank you. THANK YOU. You’ve no idea what this unfathomable level of support means to me.’ Now, he has opened up further about how deeply entrenched this self-destructive habit became in his life. His compulsion to watch explicit content grew to the point of spending ‘thousands of pounds’ to websites it became difficult to extricate himself from. ‘It’s a very easy process to get in. but it’s very difficult [to get out]. You have to go back into that world to remove it,’ he told the Daily Mail. The musical theatre star explained: ‘There were some places where you had to email your name and write a message, and I’ve got a public profile. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page What can you do to treat porn addiction? Addiction treatment professional Martin Preston said: ‘There is still much debate in the medical world as to whether an individual’s obsessive interest in pornography is less of an addiction and more of a compulsion. ‘The key difference is that addictions chase a sense of reward and compulsions chase a sense of relief.’ If you need help, options include therapy and counselling. You can also try to lead a more active lifestyle to limit screen time and opportunities to watch porn. For example, you might install anti-porn software or blanket-blocking porn sites on your electronic devices. To find out more, click on the UK Addiction Treatment Centre. ‘The idea of me emailing in saying I’d like to leave, but now you’ve got my information, my details… you have my email address, you have my name. ‘There was massive shame, because if I wanted to remove myself, I had to shine a light on the person that I was. And you don’t want to bring that to light.’ Starting in the mid-1990s when he used to download explicit adult content on his family computer, the intrigue snowballed to addiction, even sharing that ‘at it’s worst, it was a day [of watching adult content], a full day.’ Oduba also confirmed it went as far as impacting his marriage, although he didn’t go into further detail about that element. After starting therapy, he is now celebrating one year of sobriety from consuming pornographic content, recalling how in the depths of his addiction he would suffer from panic attacks. The stage and screen star admitted it also impacted his marriage with ex-wife Portia (Picture: Getty) His 2016 Strictly win was watched by millions (Picture: PA) ‘I couldn’t come to terms with this inner conflict,’ he said After years of masking, and maintaining a smiley disposition for the cameras, he admitted: ‘I could never have imagined even ten or five years ago that I would be here speaking with you about a behaviour that once made me so appalled by myself.’ In his chat with Married At First Sight star Paul C Brunson on his We Need To Talk podcast he also reflected on how ‘isolating’ it had been to grow up in a strict family in Dorset where he felt he couldn’t talk about the problem he was facing. In his professional life, the star made his West End debut in January 2020 and has performed in shows like The Rocky Horror Show and Curtains. He is currently on the national tour of Young Frankenstein. Got a story? If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
