Ade Adepitan is 53 years old and was born on March 27, 1973, in Maryland, Lagos, Nigeria. The Nigerian-born British television presenter and former wheelchair basketball player is married to singer Linda Harrison, and the couple have a son born in January 2021. Adepitan won a Paralympic bronze medal with Great Britain at Athens 2004 and has presented The Travel Show for the BBC since 2014. On November 10, 2026, ITV confirmed Adepitan as one of the 11 campmates for I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! series 26, which starts on November 16, 2026, on ITV1.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Adedoyin Olayiwola Adepitan |
| Age | 53 years old |
| Date of Birth | March 27, 1973 |
| Birthplace | Maryland, Lagos, Nigeria |
| Occupation | Television presenter and former wheelchair basketball player |
| Wife | Linda Harrison (married 2018) |
| Known For | Paralympic bronze medallist; The Travel Show; I’m a Celebrity 2026 |
| Children | One son (born January 2021) |
Who Is Ade Adepitan?
Adedoyin Olayiwola Ade Adepitan MBE is a Nigerian-born British television presenter and wheelchair basketball player, and one of the first physically disabled television presenters in the United Kingdom, with a career of over 20 years. He is a disability advocate who often uses television as a platform to campaign against racism and disability discrimination.
As a presenter, he has hosted a range of travel documentaries and sports programmes for BBC television and Channel 4, including The Travel Show, Children in Need, and Africa with Ade Adepitan. In August 2024, Birmingham City University announced that he would replace Sir Lenny Henry as its Chancellor.
Early Life & Background
Adepitan was born in the Maryland district of Lagos, Nigeria. At the age of fifteen months he contracted polio, which affected his legs and ultimately left him unable to walk. At the age of three, he and his mother moved to the United Kingdom to join his father in East London, where he grew up.
He was educated at Southern Road Primary School in Plaistow, which he credits with helping him with his disability and problems at home, and at Lister Community School. He became a wheelchair basketball player as a young man, and he is a keen West Ham United supporter and season ticket holder.
Career
Adepitan played wheelchair basketball for his club Milton Keynes Aces and for Great Britain. He was part of the British team that won the bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens and the gold medal at the 2005 Paralympic World Cup in Manchester. He also won silver at the 2002 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship in Kitakyushu and medals at the European Championships in 2003 and 2005.
During the 2000s, Adepitan began appearing on British television, with early acting roles in Casualty and Desperados and a presenting role on the CBBC children’s programme Xchange. He also appeared in EastEnders. He moved into presenting, initially for sports programmes, and was appointed as one of Channel 4’s presenters for the London 2012 Paralympic Games, co-presenting That Paralympic Show with Rick Edwards. In 2013 he presented the Channel 4 Dispatches programme Britain on Benefits and a documentary for Channel 4’s Unreported World about Cuban basketball players, Cuba, Basketball and Betrayal.
Since 2014, Adepitan has been one of the alternating main presenters of The Travel Show for BBC News, which airs in the UK and internationally. He has presented the Invictus Games for the BBC, guest-presented The One Show, and co-presented the BBC Two series New York: America’s Busiest City in 2016 and World’s Busiest Cities in 2017. Since 2016 he has co-presented the BBC’s Children in Need appeal. In 2019 he presented the four-part BBC Two series Africa with Ade Adepitan, in 2021 he fronted Climate Change: Ade on the Frontline, and in 2024 he presented Whites Only: Ade’s Extremist Adventure for Channel 4.
Facts About Ade Adepitan
- He was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2005 for services to disability sport.
- He won a Paralympic bronze medal at Athens 2004 and gold at the 2005 Paralympic World Cup in Manchester.
- He has presented The Travel Show for the BBC since 2014.
- He was included in the Powerlist of the 100 most influential Black British people in 2020.
- He is a West Ham United season ticket holder.
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