Yahoo News BBC Children in Need host Ade Adepitan's famous wife and rare disease that left him unable to walk
Ade Adepitan is back on our screens tonight as he hosts Children in Need. The TV presenter and wheelchair basketball player was born in Lagos, Nigeria, before moving to the UK aged three.
Ade, 51, grew up in East London and later became a wheelchair basketball player, representing the British team in the 2004 Summer Olympics and winning a bronze medal.
In 2005 he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to disability sport. As a presenter, he has hosted a range of travel documentaries and sports programmes for the BBC, including Africa with Ade Adepitan and Climate Change: Ade on the Frontline.
READ MORE: BBC Children in Need star Vernon Kay's public apology after 'cheating' on Tess Daly
But what do we know about his life away from the cameras? Below we look at his family, including his famous wife, and the rare disease that led to him using a wheelchair.
Ade Adepitan's famous wife
Ade married his wife, singer Linda Harrison, in 2018 in St Paul's Cathedral. You might have heard of her under her stage name, Ella Exxe.
Linda, 34, has performed at several festivals, including V Festival, and was part of BBC Introducing, the platform supporting unsigned, undiscovered, and under-the-radar UK music talent.
The couple have a son together, Bolla, who is three years old. They revealed that she is pregnant with their second child as they were attending the world premiere of Come Alive The Greatest Showman in London last month where Linda proudly showed off her baby bump.
They later announced the happy news on Instagram.
Ade Adepitan's rare disease that left him unable to walk
When he was just 15 months old, Ade contracted polio, which affected his legs and ultimately left him unable to walk. The serious infection is now very rare because of the vaccination programme, but can be life-threatening.
Polio was eradicated in Europe in 2003. According to the NHS, Polio is caused by a virus that spreads easily from person to person.
It usually spreads through contact with the poo of an infected person, either by transference from unwashed hands to the mouth or from contaminated food or water. It can also spread through coughs or sneezes, but this is less common.
Most people who get polio do not have symptoms, while others just get mild flu-like symptoms. But rarely it can lead to serious symptoms that affect the brain and nerves, and can cause paralysis, usually in the legs.
If the paralysis affects the muscles used for breathing, it can be life threatening. The NHS says that most people recover, with movement returning, but others can be left permanently disabled.
