With AA Milne's Eeyore Has a Birthday and Christopher Robin Gives a Party on their daughter's bookshelf at home, James and Ola Jordan's adventure deep in the Hundred Acre Wood to celebrate Ella turning three was a picture-perfect moment.
"She loved it – and we did as well," James tells HELLO!. "Seeing Pooh Sticks Bridge was amazing. Throwing sticks into the river from the bridge, we could see the excitement on Ella's face."
Their trip to East Sussex's Ashdown Forest, which AA Milne said inspired his famous location, also saw them visit the Enchanted Place and the Heffalump Trap.
Not surprisingly, there was honey on the menu for a special afternoon tea at Ashdown Park Hotel, where Ella was presented with a birthday cake.
WATCH: Strictly's James and Ola Jordan share Ella's bedtime routine
"I felt this emotion come over me when everyone started singing Happy Birthday to Ella," James, 44, adds. "I was thinking: 'What’s happened to me? What’s going on with these emotions I’m having?' and Ola was laughing at me."
Adding to the magic, the family were joined by some rather special friends: the life-size puppets and cast from Disney's new Winnie the Pooh musical, as well as the show’s creator and director Jonathan Rockefeller, and Jake Bazel in the title role after its Broadway debut.
However, Ella was certainly not upstaged by the famous characters from the musical, which opens at London’s Riverside Studios in Hammersmith next month before going on tour.
© Photo: HELLO!Ella had a wonderful time to celebrate her birthday
"She's already such a performer," says her proud dad, while Ola, 40, adds: "She loves posing for the photos and showing off. She was saying: 'Watch me, Mummy and Daddy.' Ella talks a lot, you can have lovely conversations with her. She speaks so well for her age."
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"I don’t know where she gets that from, as neither of us are that smart," James says, laughing. Since the birth of their longed-for daughter, who was conceived via IVF, the former Strictly Come Dancing stars have shared the highs and lows of parenting via their online column for HELLO!, with Ella building her own fanbase, James tells us.
"I was approached by a couple when I was out walking with Ella and they said: 'Oh my God, is this Ella? She's more famous than you are now! We love following your Instagram and your column as you're so real and normal.' So it’s move over Mum and Dad."
That said, Ella's parents have been very much in the news after revealing they lost more than six stone between them over a period of five months.
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The couple, who celebrate their 20th anniversary this year – and could definitely fit into their wedding attire if they chose – are now helping others through their Dance Shred fitness plan. Both say they feel healthier and more energetic than they have in years – and they need to be, to keep up with Ella.
"She keeps us on our toes," says Ola. At the weekend, Ella enjoyed a party with her family and friends from nursery school, as well as a day out to London with her parents on her actual birthday of 27 February.
"She is our world," says Ola. "We are overwhelmed by the love we feel for her." The couple are hopeful that one day, they may be lucky enough to have another child.
"I went to see my fertility doctor last year to discuss if – and when – I might be able to try for another baby," Ola revealed to HELLO!
"I was told my chances would be greatly increased if I was a bit healthier. I knew at that point I needed to get fit. It was a real motivator for me." Ella will be in her element in the role of doting big sister. "She would absolutely adore it,"Ola says, smiling with delight.
For more, visit winniethepoohshow.co.uk
Interview: Jane Dowdeswell
Photos: Max Cisotti
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