Professional dance couple James and Ola Jordan of Strictly fame have exclusively shared their reason for slimming down with HELLO! and it is so heartwarming.
MORE: James and Ola Jordan's incredible six stone weight loss transformation revealed
Ola, 40, and James, 44, were shocked to discover they were in the 'obese category' when visiting their doctor, and this news led them to lose weight for fear of not being around for their little girl in the future. The family are a close-knit trio, as you can see in the adorable video below when Ella tried ice skating for the first time...
WATCH: The Jordans take Ella ice skating for the first time
James told us: "I know this sounds really morbid, but if you carry on eating like we were, having takeaways all the time and eating junk food, we’re shortening our lives. So we are doing it for Ella essentially."
Since embarking on a healthy eating plan and doing regular exercise with their new Dance Shred programme five months ago, the pair have lost over six stone in weight combined.
James' weight has dropped from 15 stone 6 lbs to 12 stone 7 lbs, while Ola has gone from 11 stone 9 lbs to 8 stone 3 lbs. Previously a size 14, she is now a size six.
MORE: Why Strictly's James and Ola Jordan ditched mammoth four-storey mansion
LOOK: Strictly's Ola and James Jordan's 10 sweetest moments with daughter Ella
Ola and James' impressive new physiques Photo by David Venni
Their daughter also inspired their new workouts, with Ola revealing: "Ella always copies me with a bit of dancing, then we put in some exercises like squats in between the dancing – Ella would copy that.
"It just turned into a regular thing, with Ella saying, 'Mummy come and do this with me. Mummy let’s do some stretches, let’s do some exercising'. She sort of prompted me in doing that as well."
She added: "We were doing it in our kitchen, because obviously you can’t go to the gym – we’re so limited with that because Ella just has nursery three days a week, so trying to plan your time around that is hard. There are millions of things you want to do when she goes to nursery for the eight hours.
"We do some dancing and in between the steps we put in squats, lunges and different things. Then we started saying, ‘Oh this is actually quite fun’, doing it together the three of us in the kitchen."
© Photo: InstagramOla, James and Ella loved the snow in December
What does Ella make of the family workouts, we wondered? "She likes it, yeah. I think she finds it funny," says Ola. "It’s nice [to workout] together and give that example to little Ella."
The couple are also hoping to add to their family soon and their new healthy lifestyle is, in part, preparation for a possible new addition.
Ola explained: "I went to see my fertility doctor earlier this year to discuss if and when I might be able to try for another baby. They told me my chances would be greatly increased if I was a bit healthier.
"I knew at that point I needed to get fit and it was a real motivator for me. It was time to make a change."
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