Having graduated from Keele in 2009 with a degree in English and Politics, Presenter AJ Odudu has held a variety of TV roles culminating in her current role as the digital presenter on ITV’s The Voice and The Voice Kids.

After leaving Keele, I moved to London to pursue a career in TV which has resulted in me landing a variety of presenting roles including my big break on Big Brothers Bit On The Side, 4 Music’s Trending Live, Celebrity SAS Who Dares Wins. I was also very fortunate to film the Channel 4 documentary Manhunting with my Mum in Nigeria which was really fun and a great experience. 

My most recent role is being the digital presenter on The Voice and the new series of The Voice Kids which is just brilliant and is now airing on ITV on Saturday evenings at 7:35pm.  

The TV industry is tough and resilience is crucial. It’s an industry where you may work one to two series on a show, and then that will be the end of the road as you know it. Yet despite that, you need consistent confidence to continue, hoping another opportunity is around the corner. It is an amazing, dynamic, exciting industry and I’ve met incredible people along the way.

Keele had a great impact on me and my further education is a huge part of who I am. I learnt a lot, left with a brilliant degree and a lifelong best friend. Education is an amazing thing, and I feel proud to have a great degree from a great university. 

If I could give one piece of advice to students now, it would be to work hard; education is power and fortune favours the brave.