James Cracknell has got engaged.
James Cracknell
The 48-year-old former Olympic rower - who competed on 'Strictly Come Dancing' in 2019 - is to marry US financier Jordan Connell, 35, who he met when he was studying human evolution at Cambridge University as a mature student.
The pair announced their engagement in The Times newspaper today (25.01.21), with a message reading: "Mr J.E Cracknell and Miss J.R.D Connell. The engagement is announced between Mr James Edward Cracknell, OBE, son of Mr and Mrs John Cracknell of London, and Jordan Rebekah Davis Connell, daughter of the late Mr Barry Connell and of Mrs Rosemarie Connell, of New York City."
James was previously married to Beverley Turner for 17 years, but the pair divorced in 2019.
The Olympian suffered damage to his brain's frontal lobes after he was hit at 70mph by a tanker while cycling in America in 2010.
Speaking in 2012, he said: "I get angry and frustrated more than I used to, which has been very difficult."
James - who has children Croyde, Trixie and Kiki - was the first celebrity eliminated from Strictly's 17th series in 2019, and later admitted his biggest disappointment about his exit was that his kids wouldn't be able to see him training.
He said at the time: "As much as I think rowing is very good, my kids aren’t that into it. But they are into this. For them to see me, they knew I would be very bad anyway.
"The only really disappointing thing was they were going to come to rehearsals this week, and so they don’t get to. They were looking forward to meeting Luba."
James admitted his brain injury has affected his confidence, but insisted he doesn't think he would've done that well on 'Strictly' even before the incident.
He explained: "It was [fun]. One of the reasons I did it, there are actually probably two reasons, a lot of the things I’ve done I know I’m going to be OK at, sporting and endurance, but I knew I was going to be bad at it.
"But I think there’s a block that people have, I know I especially do, of being afraid to look stupid.
"That’s a big hurdle to get over … the fear of putting yourself out there. I knew I wouldn’t be the best dancer in the world, I now have proof at least.
"But putting yourself in that position is actually quite a good thing to do in life.
"I don’t think I would have been a dancer before … with anything related to the brain, you look OK and people think you are OK.
"One thing is it definitely affects your confidence. One thing you need from 'Strictly' is massive confidence to put yourself out there ... I would be lying to say there was a natural talent here before the accident that suddenly got lost."
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