Strictly Come Dancing's Oti Mabuse makes surprising return to BBC show

Professional dancer Oti Mabuse has made an unexpected comeback to Strictly Come Dancing, three years after her departure from the series.

Oti, sister of Strictly judge Motsi Mabuse, was a pro dancer on the show from 2015 to 2021 before leaving to explore other television opportunities.

She is now most recognised for her role as a judge on Dancing On Ice, alongside Christopher Dean, Jayne Torvill, and Ashley Banjo.

Oti made her return to Strictly on Tuesday, 5 November, featuring on the spin-off show It Takes Two as a guest host. During the programme, she offered her critique on the previous weekend's dances, highlighting areas for improvement for some celebrity dancers and praising the best performances from Saturday night's show.

The 34-year-old mother of one from South Africa holds the unique distinction of being the only professional dancer on Strictly to have won the show in two consecutive years - first in 2019 when she was paired with former Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher, and again in 2020 when she danced with comedian Bill Bailey.

Oti has spoken candidly about the impact her commitment to Strictly Come Dancing had on her personal relationships. In a deeply personal interview on Paul Carrick Brunson's We Need To Talk podcast, she described the show as "a lifestyle choice" and not merely a TV gig, reports OK!.

She confided: "It is all you think about 24/7," and elaborated on her dedication by saying: "It's all you do. You're on tour, you're doing other Strictly-associated shows. You're not really 100% in the marriage, because this is gold. The trophy is handmade, by the way, and you're fixated on it."

During her early tenure on Strictly, Oti admitted to neglecting communications with family and friends: "I didn't communicate with my friends, I didn't communicate with my family, I didn't communicate with my husband. It was just this one goal that I wanted to achieve so, so, so, so, so much."

Married to Marius Lapurea professional dancer turned director, choreographer, judge, and dance coach, Oti became a mother to a baby girl this past December. Celebrating their bundle of joy, she shared a heartwarming Christmas Day post with her fans, featuring a photo and the message: "Merry Christmas. Wishing you all a wonderful festive season and special memories with loved ones."

More recently, she is rumoured to be one of the celebrities heading to the jungle for this year's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here, alongside stars including Coleen Rooney, Coronation Street's Alan Halsall, singer Tulisa, Love Island's Maura Higgins and boxing star Barry McGuigan.

Strictly's It Takes Two airs weekdays at 6:30pm on BBC Two.