Ashley Banjo says has one golden rule when it comes to co-parenting
Back for his seventh year as host of the Pride of Britain Awards alongside Carol Vorderman, it’s evident that Ashley Banjo is as grateful as ever to be a part of this special annual event honouring the nation’s unsung heroes. “It’s a proper landmark in the calendar for me now,” the TV star, who joined the show as a roving reporter in 2017 before becoming co-host in 2021, tells OK!. “It’s humbling and wholesome. You hear so much negativity on social media and in the news, and even though a lot of the stories on Pride of Britain are born from negative situations, we’re celebrating the positive. It’s a really important thing to be a part of.”
Away from the small screen, Ashley is proud dad to daughter Rose, five, and son Micah, four, with ex-wife Francesca Abbott. The pair announced their split in December 2022, revealing they had actually been separated for a year. However, the couple, who were together for over 16 years and married for seven, remain friends and continue to co-parent. He says: “My kids will always come first for me, so whatever that takes, we do. We do the best job we can,” he says.
But right now, Ashley, 36, is gearing up for one of the biggest nights on television. And speaking of what he enjoys most about the job, he says: “Meeting these people is amazing. We get together and have a winners’ dinner, where we get to sit with everyone and their families, and get to know their stories. It’s like being at the most interesting dinner party in the world.” He adds, “There are some remarkable people out there. Some of the VTs they make – they look like action movies. There was a guy this year who was saving somebody, swinging on a crane through fire. Crazy!”
READ MORE:Inside GMB’s Laura Tobin's body transformation with just two simple changes
READ MORE:Giovanni Pernice sends fans wild with career announcement - 'I'm back baby'
And working alongside his pal Carol, 63, – who he grew close to after she took part in I’m A Celebrity alongside his brother, Jordan Banjo, in 2016 – is also a highlight. “Carol’s great – she’s a legend,” he tells us. “I always say to people she’s not only lovely, but she’s super smart as well. She’s always made me want to raise my game as a host and she knows everything about everything. She doesn’t just know the names of the people and their stories, she’ll know the names of their extended family and what they do. She’s amazing. I’ve got a lot of love and respect for her.”
While he’s a presenting pro himself, Ashley admits he still feels nervous “every time” he gets on stage. “Whether it’s hosting or a performance, I still get nervous. After all these years and thousands of shows, my belly still goes. If you didn’t get nervous, I don’t think you’d do as good a job.”
The awards, which celebrate their landmark 25th anniversary this year, are inevitably a tear-jerking event, rarely leaving a dry eye in the room. And while Ashley tries his best to stay composed, he admits that stories involving young children in particular, never fail to tug on his heartstrings. “I keep it together because I want to do a good job, but honestly, with the stories about children, especially since I’ve had kids, they just destroy me,” he says. “I’ve got a four- and a five-year-old, and some of the kids that are winning awards are the same age as my kids, and it just breaks my heart.”
This time of year is particularly busy for Ashley – it’s “crazy hectic”, he tells us. As well as the Pride of Britain Awards, he’s also preparing to go into pantomime with his dance group Diversity, who won Britain’s Got Talent back in 2009. But his busy career also means chunks of time away from his home and his children, which can’t be easy. “Not being able to see them sometimes for a week or two is horrible, but that’s also the thing that keeps them safe inadvertently,” he reflects. “So it’s swings and roundabouts. But I miss them.”
He continues, “I get dad guilt all the time. But every time I’m away, I remind myself why I’m doing it. I’ve got a little picture of my son and my daughter, and I keep it in the sun visor of my car. When I’m away, every now and then I’ll pull it down to remind myself, because sometimes it’s easy to just be like, ‘I’ll take the day off and go home and see them.’ And a lot of the time, I do that. But at the same time, if I don’t work hard, then all the nice things they have, they won’t have any more.”
Ashley stays in contact with his little ones via FaceTime, and says, “My daughter has just discovered that you can send voice notes and messages from an iPad. So I get bombarded all the time – it’s adorable. And then she’ll call me from the house phone to make sure I reply!” When they can, Rose and Micah come and watch him perform. “Sometimes they’re not interested and sometimes they are, it just depends,” he says. “I definitely don’t force my world onto them in terms of performing and coming to shows. I’m a performer to so many people, but to them I’m Dad, first and foremost. They love it but they’re not massive fans of getting on stage yet.”
Discussing their different personalities, he says, “My son is more like me, he’s way more introverted than my daughter. My daughter is shy, but when she gets going, oh my God, she loves it. She’s in the crowd and she’s getting involved.“They love singing and dancing and gymnastics and flipping, but I don’t know if they are fans of big crowds yet. Whereas my brother Jordan’s kids, his little girl loves it. She’ll jump on the stage and run about in front of a big audience and won’t care.”
Do they think Ashley’s a cool dad? “They must do sometimes, but I still get the forehead slaps from them,” he laughs. “Sometimes I’ll say something and my little girl will just go [does action of slapping his forehead].”
Ashley has already achieved so much in his career – as well as being a part of Diversity for 15 years, he’s also starred in a string of TV shows and is a judge on Dancing On Ice. But he still has lots on his bucket list for the future, he tells OK!. “Right now, the kids take priority, but at the same time, there’s loads I want to do,” he says. “I’ve always wanted to write a movie and do some things for the big screen. I’ve also always wanted to create a show for the West End and create my own hip-hop theatre type production. ’m not slowing down any time soon!”
