Ade Adepitan MBE (born 27 March 1973) is a British television presenter and wheelchair basketball player. He uses a wheelchair as a result of contracting polio as a child which led to the loss of use of his left leg.
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Adepitan was born in Maryland, Lagos, Nigeria on 27 March 1973 and has no brothers or sisters. At the age of 6 months, Adepitan contracted polio which resulted in the loss of function of his left leg, and ultimately prevented him from walking. At the age of three, Adepitan and his mother emigrated to Newham in London, United Kingdom to join his father. He was educated at Southern Road Primary School in Plaistow, East London, which he credits with helping him with his illness and problems at home. From an early age, he had aspirations of becoming an international sportsman. He also attended Lister Community School.
Adeptitan was an accomplished wheelchair basketball player, for his club Milton Keynes Aces[1] and as a member of Great Britain team that won the bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens and the gold medal at the 2005 Paralympic World Cup in Manchester, United Kingdom.[2]
Adepitan has featured on many television programmes and series as an actor, presenter or guest, particularly for the BBC. He often uses television as a platform to campaign against racism and disability discrimination. He was one of the main presenters of the children's programme Xchange produced for CBBC and has appeared in the soap opera Eastenders. Adepitan also participated in Beyond Boundaries which was a four part documentary in which Adepitan trekked through rainforests, deserts, rivers and mountains in Nicaragua and he made his own video diary it was a personal account. It was first filmed in London then in Spain. This video diary had filmed Adepitan talking in depth about his sporting aspirations and how he coped as a London boy living in Zaragoza unable to speak any Spanish.
Adepitan does a lot of charity work, particularly supporting many charities to help other people with physical disabilities. He is a patron to two charities called Go Kids Go (formerly known as Association of Wheelchair Children) and The Scope Charity. He is also a high supporter of the National Society of the Prevention of the Cruelty to Children Charity and the WheelPower Charity. Adepitan travelled to Ghana in support of Comic Relief. He will also be participating in the Disabled Motoring UK Alps 2011 Challenge. Adepitan is also an Athlete Ambassador for Right to Play, the world's leading sport for development charity.[3]
Adepitan was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to disability sport in 2005.[4] He was also presented with an Honorary Doctorate from Loughborough University, in recognition of his outstanding services to, and performances in, disabled sport.[2]
He was presented with the Lifetime Achievement award by the University of East London in 2010, and was conferred with and Honorary Doctorate by the university in November 2010.[5]