SELF-CONFESSED T.V. ADDICT A.J. ODUDU ON HER SUCCESSFUL BID FOR STARDOM AND A BUSY YEAR

As an in-demand TV presenter, AJ Odudu has found herself needing to become more selective about the roles she takes on

- JUBIDA BEGUM

“I always like to do a project that really means something to me, and there needs to be passion there,” she tells HELLO! as her new show, The Greatest Auction, begins on Channel 4.

“I watch TV to relax, unwind and be nosy about people’s stories or get a new perspective on the world and the people in it, so that’s what really speaks to me when I’m coming to decide on a project.”

And the Blackburn-born star, 35, certainly learnt a few new things as she hosted the eight-part series, set in a specially created auction house, which started last week. In it, AJ meets ambitious millionaires, curious collectors and seasoned dealers as they compete to buy extraordinary items, ranging from a taxidermied “unicorn” to a Louis Vuitton skateboard, and even pickled pig foetuses.

“I’ve always been inquisitive,” she says, adding that it was the “opportunity to find out about people from different walks of life, selling quirky items” that enticed her to accept the role.

“I loved learning about how an auction house runs. Every single person involved in that process, I get to know something about, and so does the audience – and that’s really joyous and uplifting.”