Ola Jordan's health fears for Ella, 4, as husband James works away

The Jordans are back from a sunny family holiday in Dubai, and no sooner did their feet touch British soil than dad James Jordan was off to appear in panto.

It's the second time in recent months that the former Strictly star has spent weeks away from home, but as mum Ola Jordan tells us in her HELLO! column below, she and their four-year-old daughter Ella are coping just fine despite missing James.

Here, Ola updates us on their holiday and return home, and reveals why she's praying Ella stays healthy this winter…

Holidaying in Dubai

We're just back from our family holiday in Dubai which is the first break away we've had together in ages. It was amazing – it was lovely to get a bit of sun, chill out and spend some quality time together.

James has been away on his Legends dance tour for a long time, so it was nice for him to go away.

Ella swam loads on holiday - she loves her swimming – and she even jumped off a boat! Daddy decided to jump in and Ella said, 'Mummy, I want to go in as well'. So she put a lifejacket on and her goggles, and jumped in from the boat.

She wasn't scared at all, she just wanted to go in with Daddy! It's amazing because I don't think I would have done that at her age.

She was so cute – one night we got back to the hotel room after dinner and we had some snacks and put a movie on. She said: "Mummy, this is the best night ever."

I'd love to say I have a great tan, but I don't because it was obviously daddy's bright idea to book a hotel with a little water park.

So we ended up being in there all the time as it was quite shaded, which was good for Ella but not so good for mummy and daddy. I said to James, 'Next time don't book a hotel with a water park!' But then Ella does love it…

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James is off to panto

As soon as we got home from holiday, James had to wash his clothes and pack, and he left to go and do his Cinderella panto in Chesterfield for six weeks.

It's a full-on schedule: he's got about two days off in about two weeks' time, so maybe he'll come back then, but apart from that, it's only Christmas Day he'll be home for.

He's got three shows on Christmas Eve and two shows on Boxing Day, so he'll come home after his last show on Christmas Eve, spend Christmas Day with us and then drive back.

He seems to enjoy doing panto - he's doing a bit of dancing and a bit of singing as well. He records some of the rehearsals and sends them over to me for proof. I'm like, 'Oh my God, you can put a singer in your CV now!'

I'm 100% going to take Ella to see him, probably at the start of December. I've got to because she loves Cinderella; she's going to love him on stage.

Christmas prep…

With Ella at school and James away, I am missing them both, but I've got plenty to keep me busy and I've already started putting my Christmas decorations up.

I don't normally do it so early but because James is away, I asked him to get the trees down from the loft for me before he left as they are too heavy for me. He put the trees up and the lights on.

I've got two big trees, one in my kitchen lounge and the other in the main lounge. I need to get the rest of the decorations out and decorate the trees with Ella. I know that the pair of us will argue the whole way through! That's why I'll get the majority of it done then let Ella put on a few baubles.

I decorate the big tree how I like it, and Ella can do the fun 'toy' tree. She will definitely put all the baubles in one place.

She's very helpful – yesterday she asked me, 'Mummy, what's an assistant?' I said it's someone who helps, so when mummy does the decorations, she can be my assistant and help me. She comes out with loads of funny questions now.

I keep asking her what she wants for Christmas. She goes, 'I just want some slippers mummy, and I need a new lunchbox,' so it's nothing outrageous. She'll be happy with anything, I think.

Ella at school

Ella is doing amazingly well at school. I was talking to James this morning and telling him how happily she goes into school now – it wasn't so great when she started in September, she didn't want to leave us.

Now she gets up, gets on with it, and puts her uniform on. She loves her school. I say goodbye to her at the school gate and she turns around and says, 'Bye mummy, have a lovely day'. It's so nice.

I've got my first parent evening tonight, so I'm looking forward to that. James won't be there but he's been telling me what to say. I was like, OK…

Ella's health update

I was dreading James going away and me staying with Ella on my own in case she got ill and I had to cope by myself but thankfully she is doing well, touch wood.

She does a lot of swimming with her lessons and every now and then she says her ear hurts, so then we have a break from the swimming for a bit. I don't want her to get an ear infection.

Earlier in the year we were concerned as the doctor said she might have a heart murmur, but they had another look at her and said she's fine. I do worry though as mistakes with diagnoses can happen.

I've got a friend who's in her 40s, and she had a stroke when she was 40 - she was a professional dancer, healthy as anything. They found that she had a hole in her heart, and she never knew. So, I think you can't ever take things for granted.

Ella seems to be OK, but if she gets sick again, you just have to be aware that it might have something to do with her heart. She was discharged from the doctor but it's still at the back of your mind.

This time last year she got really unwell after our holiday, so I'm trying to keep her healthy and warm and keep an eye on her.

Ella loves joining me when I do my Dance Shred workout videos at home. It's good because she can dance along next to me – we have a fun time together and I get my exercise done without leaving the house.

I try to keep our diet healthy too. The other day, Ella asked me, 'Mummy, can we have steak tonight?' It was a surprise! So, I cooked us both steak and she loved it. She's such a sweet little girl.