Akinwolere was born in Ibadan, Nigeria, on 30 November 1982. He moved to the United Kingdom with his family at the age of eight, settling in Birmingham. His parents are both doctors and practised in Kidderminster, Worcestershire. He has four siblings — three brothers and one sister. His mother is named Olutooke Akinwolere; two of his brothers are named Akinyemi Akinwolere, a cruise director, and Simon Akinwolere, a photographer.

Akinwolere joined Blue Peter as a co-presenter on 28 June 2006, having been approached to audition by a producer he met at the BBC. He served as a presenter for five years, becoming the programme’s first Black male presenter — a milestone he later discussed publicly in the context of representation in British television. In 2008, as lead presenter, Akinwolere hosted Queen Elizabeth II to celebrate 50 years of Blue Peter.

In June 2011, during his final season on Blue Peter, Akinwolere swam more than five miles across the Palau Trench in the Pacific Ocean, setting a world record for the deepest location open-water swim. He later moved into current affairs, presenting Inside Out in the West Midlands between 2014 and 2017.

In late 2020, Akinwolere co-founded MilkFirst Productions, an independent production company focused on developing original documentary and factual media content. He currently hosts Premier League Today for Premier League Productions and in 2023 became host of The Athletic FC Podcast.