Ade Adepitan facts for kids
Adepitan in 2010
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Adedoyin Olayiwola Adepitan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Ade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | British | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 27 March 1973 Maryland, Lagos, Nigeria |
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| Employer | BBC, Channel 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Adedoyin Olayiwola "Ade" Adepitan MBE (born 27 March 1973) is a British television presenter and amazing wheelchair basketball player. He was born in Nigeria. As a presenter, he has hosted many travel shows and sports programs for BBC television.
Ade Adepitan is a strong supporter of people with disabilities. He is one of the first physically disabled TV presenters in the UK. He has been working in television for over 20 years!
When he was a baby, Ade got a sickness called polio. This hurt his legs and meant he needed to use a wheelchair. When he was three, he moved to the United Kingdom with his family. He grew up in East London.
Ade became a talented wheelchair basketball player. He was part of the British team that won a bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Paralympics. He helps many charities that encourage disabled people to play sports. In 2005, he was given a special award called the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his work in disability sport.
In the 2000s, Ade started appearing on British television. He acted in shows like Casualty and Desperados. He also started presenting, mostly for sports shows. From the 2010s, he began hosting travel documentaries. These included episodes of the Channel 4 series Unreported World. He also presented the BBC series Africa with Ade Adepitan (2019) and Climate Change: Ade on the Frontline (2021).
In 2021, he was chosen to present important meetings about changes to the global environment. On 14 August 2024, Birmingham City University announced that Ade Adepitan would become the Chancellor of the University. This means he will be the head of the university, taking over from Sir Lenny Henry.
Contents
Early Life and Dreams
Ade Adepitan was born in Lagos, Nigeria. When he was only 15 months old, he got polio. This illness affected his legs and made it impossible for him to walk.
When he was three, Ade and his mother moved to the United Kingdom. They joined his father, who lived in London Borough of Newham. Ade went to Southern Road Primary School in Plaistow. He says this school helped him a lot with his disability. From a young age, he dreamed of becoming a famous sportsman. He also went to Lister Community School.
Basketball Star
Ade Adepitan is a very skilled wheelchair basketball player. He played for his club, Milton Keynes Aces. He was also a key member of the Great Britain team. This team won a bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens. They also won a gold medal at the 2005 Paralympic World Cup in Manchester.
Television and Media Work
Ade Adepitan has been on many television shows. He has worked as an actor, a presenter, and a guest, especially for the BBC. He often uses TV to speak out against racism and unfair treatment of disabled people.
In 2002, he was one of three wheelchair basketball players in a BBC One ident called Hip-Hop. He was also one of the main presenters for the children's show Xchange on CBBC. He even appeared in the famous soap opera EastEnders. Ade played a wheelchair basketball coach named "Baggy Awolowo" in the TV series Desperados.
In 2005, Ade took part in Beyond Boundaries. This was a four-part documentary where he traveled through rainforests, deserts, rivers, and mountains in Nicaragua. He also made a video diary about his sports goals.
Ade has made many documentaries for Channel 4. He was one of the main presenters for the London 2012 Paralympic Games on Channel 4. He also co-presented That Paralympic Show. In 2013, he presented a documentary for Channel 4's Unreported World about Cuban basketball players. He was also part of the Channel 4 team for the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games and the Rio 2016 Paralympics. He presented alongside Clare Balding.
Ade has also worked a lot with the BBC. He presented the Invictus Games. He was a guest presenter on The One Show with Alex Jones. In 2016, Ade co-presented the BBC Two series New York: America's Busiest City. He worked with Anita Rani and Ant Anstead. Since 2016, Ade has helped present the BBC's Children in Need appeal. In 2017, he co-presented World's Busiest Cities.
In 2019, Ade presented a new four-part series for BBC Two called Africa with Ade Adepitan. He traveled all over Africa, from his birthplace in Lagos, Nigeria, through Central and Eastern Africa, and down to the south of the continent. In 2021, he was a BBC presenter for the Global Citizen Festival. He was also a panelist on the BBC game show Blankety Blank and a celebrity contestant on Catchphrase.
In 2023, Channel 4 asked Ade to make a film about a town in South Africa called Orania. The film was called Whites Only: Ade's Extremist Adventure and came out in 2024.
Helping Others: Charity Work
Ade Adepitan does a lot of charity work. He especially helps charities that support other people with physical disabilities. He is a patron of Go Kids Go, which helps children who use wheelchairs. He also strongly supports the NSPCC (a charity that protects children) and the WheelPower Charity.
Ade traveled to Ghana to support Comic Relief. He also took part in the Disabled Motoring UK Alps 2011 Challenge. Ade is an Athlete Ambassador for Right to Play. This is a charity that uses sport and play to educate and empower children and youth facing adversity.
Awards and Recognition
Ade Adepitan was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2005. This award was for his great work in disability sport. He also received an Honorary Doctorate from Loughborough University. This was to recognize his amazing contributions to disability sport. In the same year, he got a 'Certificate of Excellence' from the Champions Club UK. This was for promoting disability sport and being a positive role model. He was praised for giving hope to young black disabled people.
In 2010, he received the Lifetime Achievement award from the University of East London. He also got an Honorary Doctorate from the university in November 2010.
In 2020, Ade Adepitan was named one of the 100 most influential Black British people on the Powerlist.
Personal Life
On 19 August 2018, Ade Adepitan married singer Linda Harrison, who is known as Elle Exxe. They got married in St Paul's Cathedral. They have a son, who was born on 4 January 2021.
Ade Adepitan loves football! He became a fan of West Ham United when he was a young boy. He went to their trophy parade after they won the 1980 FA Cup Final. He now has a season ticket to watch them play at the London Stadium.
See also
In Spanish: Ade Adepitan para niños
