The professional dancer has swapped the dancefloor for the jungle
One of the fan favourites on this year’s series of I’m a Celebrity has been Oti Mabuse. The professional dancer has taken on every challenge she has been faced with, and viewers have taken a shine to her.
This week, viewers watched as the 34-year-old opened up about her struggles in the Australian jungle. She became tearful as she confessed to missing her family and feeling isolated without her usual support network.
Oti expressed her feelings, saying: “You know they say you have a dip, and I don’t think I’ve had one until now.” Fans rushed to social media to express their love for the contestant. One X post said: “Oti hate seeing you upset you are so strong” and another said “Protect Oti at all costs, I love her.”
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But as I’m a Celebrity passes its halfway point, contestants will be fighting to stay in the competition as evictions heat up. It is easy to watch TV and take the celebrities as they are on screen, but who exactly is Oti Mabuse outside of the jungle?
Who is I’m a Celebrity’s Oti Mabuse?
Oti Mabuse is a South African dancer, talent show judge and presenter. She was a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing for seven years after joining the popular dance show in 2015 and departing in 2022.
Throughout her time on the Strictly dancefloor Oti won the glitterball trophy twice. In 2019 she was victorious with Emmerdale star Kevin Fletcher and the following year won it with musician Bill Bailey. Oti is the only professional dancer to win the show twice in a row. She also appeared on the German version of Strictly Come Dancing for two years.
Oti has previously explained how her decision to leave after seven years shocked viewers, but was driven by her desire to take on other projects that “put the fire in my belly.” Following her Strictly exit, the South African has since appeared on other shows.
Appearances include The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer, Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, The Masked Singer and more recently, I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out Here! She also joined the judging panel of Dancing on Ice in 2022.
Oti’s family life with husband and child
Oti is married to a dancer who also appeared on Strictly. Her and Romanian dancer Marius Lepure met at a dancing trial in Germany in 2012 and have participated in multiple contests together, taking home the gold at the German National Show Dancing Championships. They even made it to the World Latin Championships, which they finished second in.
In 2014, the dancer married Marius Lepure and the two currently live in London after moving there from Germany in 2015. In August 2023, Oti Mabuse announced her pregnancy with her husband Marius Lepure, and shared the news on her ITV Breakfast Show and on Instagram. On Christmas Day 2023, they announced the arrival of their first child, a daughter.
Oti opened up about the premature birth of her daughter on I’m a Celebrity. Speaking to Reverend Richard Coles, she said: “My daughter was really, really tiny when she was born. It’s hell. It’s hell to be in the hospital, to hear those sounds, to not see your baby’s eyes for a week, it’s hell to constantly look for advice from the doctors.”
In a recent interview with HELLO!, Oti revealed that she and Marius would love to expand their family, saying: “We’re definitely not against having more children. And honestly, if God allows it, we will definitely grow the family.”
Famous sister
The TV star is one of four siblings and is the younger sister of Strictly’s Motsi Mabuse. The Strictly judge joined in 2019, when she replaced Darcey Bussell and is still a judge on the BBC show now.
The 43-year-old sent a message of support to her sister who is competing in the latest series of the challenging ITV gameshow. Taking to Instagram last week, she said: “Oti is a fighter. She’s built her path by doing things her way, and she’s absolutely thriving right now.
“This is her moment, and I couldn’t be prouder of her. I support her in ways that don’t need to be shared on social media because this isn’t about me – this is about her incredible journey. Honestly, I miss her so much and can’t wait to catch up properly. She is, and always will be, my winner @otimabuse.”
Talking about their Strictly days together, Motsi told the Mirror last year: “People used to ask, ‘Oh, are you guys not competing against each other?’ But it’s the exact opposite. Doing Strictly together has brought us to a place where the only way we can take care of each other is to be actually excellent at what we do.”
