Gobby James Jordan loves belittling wife Ola for not shedding baby weight – now he’s spouting sexism and homophobia
JAMES JORDAN, you know, the gobby former dancer from Strictly, is at it again.
He likes to keep himself in the news by belittling wife Ola for not shedding her baby weight, or making disparaging comments about anyone and anything because he sees himself as a Piers Morgan in waiting.
Now James claims soon “we’re going to see no white, heterosexual men on TV any more” if bosses keep ticking diversity boxes.
Is that the sound of some casual sexism, racism and homophobia knocking on the door?
Poor lamb, it must be so terrifying to be a straight, whiteman in a world surrounded, and ruled, by . . . straight white men.
It is one of the most bonkers, insulting and ignorant things I’ve heard in a long time.
Not only have I, as a white woman, had to endure decades and decades of watching straight, white — often middle-aged — men snatch TV jobs from under my nose because, well, I am a woman and we all know women couldn’t be trusted to host shows on their own.
But I also grew up in the showbiz world which historically, has rarely given space or platforms for people of colour.
As if to further grind my gears, Jordan — a self-appointed TV exec now — says that Dancing On Ice should definitely NOT be hosted by two women, as is the case with Strictly.
I beg your puddin’, mate? Are you saying that we’re now done with equality, diversity and inclusion?
I’m not sure on behalf of what authority James Jordan claims to speak but it does all appear to be coming out of his backside.
Which, I can only presume, explains his recent weight loss.
I wonder what it is that people like him fear so much?
Now, I’m not in favour of quotas. I’m not in favour of employing people just to make up numbers.
I believe that work should go to those who are best qualified for the job.
Realistically, that’s unlikely to ever be the case 100 per cent of the time as the world of showbiz is a fickle one.
It’s one which quickly forgets, one that always veers towards the populist and one that will always be inclined to back current, trendy social media stars because fresh fame and popularity is the name of the game in a world where viewing figures and advertisers prop the industry up.
Unless James Jordan has been sleeping under a rock for the past 40 years, it has never been a level playing field.
Women haven’t historically been given a seat at the table and have been seen as the weaker sex.
I’m not sure why he felt the need to qualify his ridiculous remarks by drawing attention to “heterosexual” men.
Could it be that James Jordan feels threatened by groups who haven’t, until recently, been given the opportunities and platforms to prove their worth?
Maybe it’s scary for him. But that has more to do with Jordan’s own in- securities than a diversity box-ticking exercise.
There has been a great change in TV over the past few years but we still have a long way to go.
I can only presume that Jordan thinks the scales have tipped too far the other way. But the fact remains it is all long overdue.
Those from minority backgrounds have been waiting in the wings for far too long.
Women have been made to feel that they’re not enough.
So, I’m pretty sure we can cope with a few different faces that bring new and unique things to the party.
In the meantime, James “Caveman” Jordan, get back under your rock, there’s a good boy.
When we want your opinion, we’ll send a queer black woman to scare the bejesus out of you.
Let’s hope mother’s love can save Katie
AFTER I was hauled over the coals by her fans for suggesting she may have an unhealthy addiction to plastic surgery, Katie Price’s own mother Amy has now confessed she worries she might end up looking like the Bride of Frankenstein.
At the heart of the new book she has written is a mother who has witnessed her daughter on a rollercoaster of toxic relationships, drug-taking and volatility.
I would never deny I have done more than roll my eyes at some of Katie’s antics over the years.
But more often than not, it’s come from a place of concern and bewilderment at a woman who leads life at high speed and, at times, fails to take responsibility for her actions.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve wanted to get hold of her and have a serious talk about how she needs help to get her life back on track. But someone has to want help in the first place.
Hopefully, Amy is the woman who can offer her that.
But I know from my own maternal experience that sometimes we’re just forced to stand on the sidelines and watch.
Gran a golden oldie
A 73-YEAR-OLD grandma in the US says she joined a dating app called Cougar Life – focused on young blokes finding older women – because she was bored.
As an independent, self-sufficient female, she also says they have a more modern approach to the role of a woman.
She’s been dating fellas in their 30s and 40s and finds them far more open-minded than men her own age.
And she insists they treat her better, claiming that older men have “macho” attitudes and expect the opposite sex to stay at home.
I guess it goes without saying – and speaking from personal experience here – that younger guys do tend to have more energy, too.
And they don’t give you the impression that they’ve entirely given up on life.
I hate the term “cougar” because it sounds so predatory and casts a woman in a greedy, marauding and bloodthirsty light.
It’s so negative. But it simplifies things – we all know what it implies.
Of course, us golden oldies wouldn’t have to be looking for younger men if the older ones stepped up a bit.
If they stopped talking about how they like playing chess, going for Sunday walks, are allergic to peas, want travel tips for Japan and go nuts for pineapple on pizza, when us gals still go crazy for a bit of swinging from the chandelier.
We also wouldn’t need to go for younger men if the older ones looked more like Sting.
Rose is so right to be proud
“BEING deaf is my proudest identity,” proclaims actress and Strictly winner Rose Ayling-Ellis in her compelling BBC documentary Signs For Change.
And she’s quite right to point out that we are all so much more than the sum of all our parts.
This woman is a consummate performer, a brilliant actress and a damn good dancer.
But it’s being deaf that brings her the greatest pride.
We often feel threatened by people who are more than just one thing, so we like to put people in boxes and stick labels on them – it makes life easier for us.
In her film, Rose explores what appears to have been, and continues to be, a reluctance to teach deaf children sign language.
Deafness has been seen as a fault, as a defect, and Rose really challenges that belief because she doesn’t see her deafness as a mistake or even a disability.
She says it has made her who she is today and, through signing, she has been able to carve out a unique personality which has allowed her to seek out a belonging and kinship with other deaf people.
My fascination with sign language began when, in the late 1970s, the Swedish government made a big push for all children to learn sign language.
There were cards you could buy with instructions that went alongside TV programmes – a bit like Pokemon cards but obviously a lot more useful.
I began learning but I can only suppose that life got in the way and I never completed the course. It’s something I regret enormously.
Having always been told that she would never cope in the “hearing world” if she didn’t have an implant, Rose makes the pertinent point that it has become a mantra for society wanting deaf people to do something for its benefit – to make our lives easier.
Plus the obvious reliance on technology means that if it fails, deaf people cannot fall back on signing. So wouldn’t it be grand if we could have a big push to encourage everyone to learn British Sign Language?
A pipe dream, I know, and a step too far for schools where teachers are already pushed to the brink and overworked – but it could be an after-school activity or perhaps there are volunteers who might be willing to help out.
I’d far rather my kids spent a couple of hours a week learning to sign than getting RSI from being on their phones or gaming.
It ain’t, er, hard for men
GREAT to hear men can now take erectile dysfunction drugs in the form of a tasty mint.
A US brand has made this available at £2.25 a time. The effects can last up to 36 hours.
One thing though, it sure as hell is going to make me very dubious about a man with nice breath in future.
Ain’t it grand that pharmaceuticals are making meds so easy, cheap and readily available for men.
Because, at the end of the day, all we really care about is men’s wellness, right?
Erectile dysfunction can’t be that fun. But what about women going through menopause who still struggle to get hold of HRT or other medication that can really improve their health and wellbeing?
Proof, once more, methinks, that the world continues to be slanted in men’s favour.
A world run by men, for men.