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.
Skal vi danse In her debut season on Skal vi danse in 2020, Spilling partnered television personality and presenter Nate Kahungu. They finished as runners-up to Andreas Wahl and Mai Mentzoni.
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. +SummaryYearSeasonPartnerPlaceAverage scoreTotal points202016Nate Kahungu2nd 35.81573202117Simon Nitsche1st28.31453202218Aleksander Hetland3rd26.17314202319Harlem Alexander 4th 25.70 257
Season 16 (2020): with Nate Kahungu +Week no.DanceSongJudges' scoresTotalResultRef.1Salsa"Gettin' Jiggy wit It"7 + 7 + 7 + 627No elimination2Foxtrot"When You're Smiling"8 + 8 + 8 + 933Safe3Cha-Cha-Cha"Men in Black"6 + 7 + 6 + 726Safe4Showdance"Axel F"9 + 9 + 10 + 1038Safe5Rumba"Demons"9 + 8 + 9 + 935Safe6Viennese waltz"Neverland"7 + 7 + 7 + 728Eliminated7Showdance"Ghettoparasitt"10 + 10 + 10 + 1040Safe (return)8Samba"Bun Up the Dance"9 + 9 + 9 + 936Safe9Paso Doble"Heads Will Roll"9 + 9 + 10 + 937Safe10Quickstep"Halo / Walking on Sunshine" 8 + 8 + 9 + 934Safe10Argentine tango"Human"10 + 10 + 10 + 1040Safe11Jive"Take on Me"10 + 10 + 10 + 1040Safe11Tango"There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back"9 + 10 + 10 + 1039Safe12Argentine tango"Human"10 + 10 + 10 + 1040Safe12Foxtrot"La Vie en rose"10 + 10 + 10 + 1040Safe12Showdance"Dance Monkey"10 + 10 + 10 + 10402nd place • 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 +Week no.DanceSongJudges' scoresTotalResultRef.1Cha-Cha-Cha"Dynamite"8 + 8 + 824No elimination 2Foxtrot"En Solskinnsdag"9 + 9 + 927Safe3Rumba"More Than Words"8 + 9 + 825Safe4Showdance"Run Away"9 + 10 + 928Safe5Jive"Rebel Yell"9 + 9 + 1028Safe6Modern"Writing's On the Wall"9 + 10 + 1029Safe7Viennese waltz"Ein farfar i livet"10 + 10 + 1030Safe8Quickstep"I Want Candy"9 + 8 + 825Safe9Paso Doble w/ Aleksander Hetland"Eye of the Tiger"10 + 10 + 1030Safe10Tango"Bad Habits"9 + 9 + 1028Safe10Samba"El Diablo"10 + 10 + 1030D.O - safe11Salsa"Hung Up"10 + 10 + 1030Safe11Argentine tango"Running"10 + 10 + 929Safe12Cha-Cha-Cha"Dynamite"10 + 10 + 1030Safe12Foxtrot"Someone You Loved"10 + 10 + 1030Safe12Showdance"Blinding Lights"10 + 10 + 1030Winners • 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 +Week no.DanceSongJudges' scoresTotalResultRef.1Tango"Pepas"6 + 6 + 719Safe2Salsa"Don't Go Yet"9 + 9 + 927Safe3Jive"Fire"9 + 9 + 927Safe4Modern"Arcade"9 + 9 + 1028Safe5Foxtrot"Dancing On My Own"9 + 9 + 927Safe6Argentine tango"Mother"10 + 10 + 1030Safe7Showdance"Rock Your Body"7 + 7 + 822Safe8Paso Doble"Warriors"10 + 9 + 1029Safe9Samba w/ Grunde Myhrer"Don't Call Me Up"9 + 9 + 826Doubt10Rumba"Toxic"9 + 9 + 927Safe11Argentine tango"River"9 + 9 + 826Safe11Modern"Without You"10 + 8 + 826Eliminated • Points that are highlighted in bold indicate that Aleksander & Helene were at the top of the leaderboard.
Season 19 (2023): with Harlem Alexander +Week no.DanceSongJudges' scoresTotalResultRef.1Tango"I'm Good"7 + 8 + 823No elimination2Cha-Cha-Cha"One Kiss"7 + 7 + 721Safe3Modern"Ikke som de andre"8 + 8 + 824Safe4Paso Doble"Mission Accomplished"9 + 9 + 927Safe5Bhangra"Mundian To Bach Ke"9 + 9 + 927Safe6Rumba"Når Snøen Smelter"10 + 10 + 1030Safe7Quickstep"Because We Can"7 + 9 + 925Safe8Samba"Hip Hip Chin Chin"10 + 10 + 929Safe9Foxtrot"You're Welcome"8 + 8 + 824Doubt10Viennese waltz"7 Rings"10 + 8 + 927Eliminated • 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. The Zone has since served as the training location for Skal vi danse contestants from the 2022 season onwards.
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 +YearTitleRoleNotes2014Melodi Grand Prix 2014Background dancerFor Linnea Dale - "High Hopes"2020–Skal vi danseProfessional dancer2nd (2020); 1st (2021); 3rd (2022); 4th (2023)2020–2022DanseboblaHerselfSeason 2 (2020); season 3 (2021); season 4 (2022)2021ContestantSeason 3; 8th place in the group stage2021Performance dancerFor Einar Nilsson - season 1; episode 2 - "22"2022Truls à la Hellstrøms BistroHerselfSeason 1; guest in episode 82022ContestantSeason 1; 10th place, eliminated on day 15 of 242023ContestantSeason 14; 5th place, eliminated in episode 72023Melodi Grand Prix 2023Background dancerFor Elsie Bay - "Love You in a Dream"2023HerselfSeason 3; guest in episode 22024Drømmen om EMHerselfDocuseries; appearance in episode 32026Enkel Servering i VMHerselfSeason 1; guest in episode 192026Mesternes mester teamContestantPremieres in August 2026
References
External links