Helene Spilling Ødegaard

Helene Spilling Ødegaard (née Spilling, born 17 April 1996) is a Norwegian professional dancer. She is best known for her appearances on Skal vi danse, the Norwegian edition of Dancing with the Stars, and was the winner of the 17th season in 2021. During her competitive dancing career, she won the Norwegian dance championship 17 times, and represented Norway in European and world tournaments.

Early life Helene Spilling was born on 17 April 1996 in Gjerdrum. Her interest in dance was sparked by watching Skal vi danse at a young age. Spilling began to dance at the age of 12.

Competitive dance career In 2011, Spilling danced competitively for the first time with Christian Skibsrud. They won the NM in Latin and 10-dance. The following year, they competed in the U19 category and won a gold medal in ballroom dancing.

Between 2013 and 2017, she won twelve NM titles in the U19, U21 and adult classes with Jonas Pettersen. She and Pettersen were the winners of the Kongepokal in 2017.

In 2017, Spilling moved to Lithuania alone to venture further with a Lithuanian dance partner, Dominykas Granskas. Representing Norway, they competed in both European and world tournaments for the Lillestrøm-based dance school LSKdans, and in 2018 became the Northern European Champions in standard dance. They also made it to the quarter-finals in Grand Slam competitions. Spilling and Granskas were honoured at the 2019 "Dance Awards" in Norway, receiving the "Duo of the Year" prize. In total, Spilling secured 17 gold medals, four silver medals and two bronze medals from the NM throughout her time competing. After two and a half years in Lithuania, she returned to Norway and chose to end her competitive dancing career.

In her second season the following year, she was paired with journalist Simon Nitsche. They won the 17th season of Skal vi danse, triumphing against Magnus Moan and Ewa Trela.

In the 2022 Skal vi danse: All Stars season, Spilling was partnered with former swimmer Aleksander Hetland. They finished in 3rd place after a dance-off against Jørgine Massa Vasstrand and Santino Mirenna in the semi-final.

In the 2023 season of Skal vi danse, Spilling was paired with stylist Harlem Alexander. They ended in 4th place after a dance-off against Alexandra Joner and Ole Thomas Hansen in the quarter-final.

Season 16 (2020): with Nate Kahungu • Points that are highlighted in bold indicate that Nate & Helene were at the top of the leaderboard.

• Judges: Trine Dehli Cleve, Egor Filipenko, Merete Lingjærde, and Tore Petterson.

Season 17 (2021): with Simon Nitsche • Points that are highlighted in bold indicate that Simon & Helene were at the top of the leaderboard.

• From 2021 to 2023, there were three judges - Trine Dehli Cleve, Morten Hegseth, and Merete Lingjærde - resulting in a maximum score of 30 points per dance rather than 40.

Season 18 (2022): with Aleksander Hetland • Points that are highlighted in bold indicate that Aleksander & Helene were at the top of the leaderboard.

Season 19 (2023): with Harlem Alexander • Points that are highlighted in bold indicate that Harlem & Helene were at the top of the leaderboard.

Other television appearances In 2021, Spilling was a contestant on the third season of . Alongside Birgit Skarstein, she finished eighth in the group stage.

Spilling took part in the 14th season of NRK's television series . Spilling is the fifth dancer to have taken part in the program and was the most successful dancer at the time, finishing in fifth place.

The first season of premiered in December 2022, with Spilling among the contestants. She was eliminated in the 15th episode.

Spilling will be a contestant on Mesternes mester team, a spin-off of the original show. It is set to premiere in August 2026.

Business ventures Spilling is the founder and owner of The Zone Dance Studio in Oslo.

Other She is a brand ambassador for Thune, a leading jewellery brand in Norway. It was first announced in May 2024. In June 2026, Spilling started to share her crocheting hobby and uploaded instructions on how to make various patterns to her own website, requesting for donations to be made to the .

Personal life Spilling is married to football player Martin Ødegaard; they have a son, born on 1 December 2024.

She is close friends with former Paralympic athlete Birgit Skarstein. They lived together in Oslo for four years before Spilling moved to London.

Spilling has one older sister. She is the granddaughter of the late Internet pioneer Pål Spilling.

Filmography

Television