Ore Oduba addressed his sexuality in a lengthy tribute to his late sister, Lola.
The presenter, 39, had been asked why he’d added a rainbow flag emoji to his Instagram bio and addressed the speculation in a post on Friday.
Posing shirtless, Ore modelled tiny white swimming briefs with ‘Pride’ emblazoned on the bottom in rainbow colours.
In the caption, Ore – who split from wife Portia in October – explained that the flag, the symbol of the LGBTQ+ community, made him feel ‘closer’ to his sibling.
He revealed that Lola identified as non-binary, using they/them pronouns, in the ‘latter years’ of their life, which sadly ended in April.
Ore began: ‘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.’
Newly-divorced Ore Oduba posed in tiny Pride pants and addressed his sexuality in an Instagram post on Friday that paid tribute to his late sister after she took her own life
The presenter, 39, had been asked why he’d added a rainbow flag emoji to his Instagram bio and addressed the speculation in a post on Friday
He revealed his late sister Lola identified as non-binary, using they/them pronouns, in the ‘latter years’ of their life, which ended in April
He continued: ‘I’ve mentioned before about the longer you can withstanding a storm the closer you are to your rainbow. I’m so glad to have grown monumentally through a truly difficult, stormy period in my life.. the colours of my rainbow look very bright today.
‘But 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.
‘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.
‘Despite doing a whole lot of living in their latter years, my sister spent much of their life in shame and humiliation of who they were.
‘In so many ways, my sister’s death gave ME a gift of life. 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.
‘And that is what I plan to do. It’s certainly the version of me I want to mirror for my children.’
Addressing his sexuality, Ore added: ‘So am I gay, as someone keenly asked me on insta yesterday. No, not in the traditional or sexual sense.
‘But if ‘coming out’ is about shedding a former self to put forward the new, truest version of me, without the shame, the hiding, without the second-guessing whether any decision will make me happy rather than how others perceive me, how I cheerlead others with kindness and compassion, with occasionally quiet, or loud, flamboyance, depending on the mood, and a big dollop of camp then HALLELUJAH count me in!’
In the caption, Ore – who split from wife Portia in October – explained that the flag, the symbol of the LGBTQ+ community, made him feel ‘closer’ to his sibling
He continued: ‘My sister taught me so much about the queer community. About how feeling like the outsider, of difference of feeling othered and misunderstood, it was the one place they truly felt belonging. I understand that now.
‘I miss you so much Lola but how lucky I am to feel you with me, guiding me every day. I will always keep your rainbow flag flying in my heart. I love you’.
It has been a turbulent time for Ore as he dealt with the loss of Lola in April and his split from Portia in October.
Ore and Portia, who share two young children Roman, seven, and Genie, four, wed in 2015 – five years after they met at Loughborough university in 2010.
Announcing the split, Ore wrote: ‘Hi guys. Portia and I are sad to announce that we separated earlier this year. We’re so grateful for all the love you’ve shared with us both over the years.
‘And we want to thank you in advance for respecting our privacy as we navigated this difficult transition. We will be making no further comment. Be kind, always.’
He marked a positive milestone this month, however, as he celebrated a year of sobriety.
Ore credited trauma specialist Annalie Howling and her recently published self-help book, Unapologetic: Unshackle Your Shame, Reclaim Your Power, for helping him tackle his demons.
Ore and Portia, who share two young children Roman, seven, and Genie, four, wed in 2015 – five years after they met at Loughborough university in 2010
‘Until recently, I had spent most of my life as an addict. Shame was into woven into my addictive behaviours, they went hand-in-hand,’ he told Instagram followers.
‘Through therapy and finally admitting to myself that I’d had suffered from addiction pretty much my entire life I’m so happy to share I’ve been ‘sober’ for over a year.
‘If that is indeed how to describe my case. Despite living with it silently, secretly for decades… undiagnosed and untreated it might well in the end have ruined my life.’
With a reference to Annalie, he added: ‘Funnily enough I didn’t recognise the timing until I started reading this unbelievable book. I devoured it in a day.
‘And while her expertise is on shame, pretty much every word Annalie said resonated so deeply with me that I realised I’d actually forgotten I’d made so much progress in the last 12 months. I’m glad I don’t even recognise that version of me anymore.’
For help and support, call the Samaritans for free on 116 123 or go to samaritans.org
