AJ Odudu
“I always gravitate towards running”
An hour in TV presenter and runner AJ Odudu’s company is a tonic. At a time when life feels a bit dull, she’s full of love, light and laughter
Words: Rachel Ifans
WARRIOR AJ Odudu is a TV, radio and live events presenter – and keen runner. Having taken part in regular races for years as motivation to keep running, it’s now totally embedded in her life
Born to Nigerian parents, AJ grew up in Blackburn with her five brothers and two sisters. A Keele graduate in English and Politics, she’s also a qualified personal trainer and sports nutritionist, and has a flourishing career in radio, TV (presenting Celebrity Big Brother’s Bit on the Side with Rylan Clark, and sister show Bit on the Psyche with Iain Lee), as well as heading up massive festivals such as Isle of Wight 2012 and Freeze, Roxy Pro and Boardmasters. She sounds a bit uber, doesn’t she? But then you meet her and, happily, she puts you at ease immediately.
Chasing the silverware
“Nothing that a cup of tea and a chocolate digestive can’t fix,” AJ laughs cheerfully as she commiserates about a mid-aft ernoon slump in energy aft er a badly timed cheese sandwich for lunch, putting any suspicions of a hoighty-toighty TV star to rest completely.
That’s not to say she’s not utterly professional. She’s here to talk about her love for running – and for the fit kit that comes with it! – and there’s barely a minute when she’s not 100% on message, eulogising about the sport we all love in such an engaging, fun and genuine way, that you find yourself smiling right back at her.
“I love keeping fit in a whole plethora of ways, be it skipping or boxercise or whatever, but I do always gravitate towards running,” she says. “It’s one of those easy things you can do wherever. I’ve always got my running trainers with me even when I go on holiday,” she admits, with unaff ected glee in her voice.
One of AJ’s earliest memories of running is related to her family and she talks about it with characteristic fast pace, big smile and modesty. “My brothers always got trophies at the athletics club and I remember so clearly my oldest brother saying to me one day: ‘You’d be much quicker, AJ, if you didn’t look around. Keep your head straight, look forward, chest up, and use your arms to propel you forwards.’ Oh wow, I remember that so well!” she says.