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Who is Oti Mabuse in ITV I’m A Celebrity 2024?
by Miranda Pell · Manchester Evening NewsITV’s hit show I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! returns on Sunday 17 November with a star-studded line up of participants.
Dancing on Ice judge Oti Mabuse is heading to the Aussie outback to compete in gruelling challenges and could face up to three weeks of living under the stars in the jungle.
Oti, 34, is a South-African dancer and presenter. She was a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing until 2022 when she stood down from the BBC show after seven years and two wins.
The professional dancer won BBC Strictly Come Dancing in 2019 and 2020 with partners Kevin Fletcher and Bill Bailey.
Earlier this year, Oti, full name Otlile, also took part in the Channel Four Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer alongside Gabby Logan, David O'Doherty and Suzi Ruffell.
As well as being a judge on Dancing on Ice, she has also been a panellist on The Masked Dancer, the ITV spin-off of The Masked Singer.
She has an older sister, Motsi Mabuse, is also a professional dancer and has a published autobiography ‘Finding My Own Rhythm: My Story’ about her journey of becoming one of the top professional dancers worldwide.
Oti married her dance partner Marius Lepure in 2014 and the pair welcomed their first child last year. She has shared some of her experiences of being a mum online including a traumatic ‘poonami’ story earlier this year.
(Image: bright media uk)
Mabuse has won the South African Latin American Championship eight times, before moving to Germany. During her dancing career she has achieved third place in World Cup Freestyle Latin, second place in European Championship Latin and first place in German Championship PD Freestyle Latin.
Earlier this week Oti Mabuse was papped on Byron Bay beach during filming for the opening episode of I’m A Celeb. She was pictured grinning, looking very pleased to be in Aus!
She has said she is ‘up for the challenge’ and wants people to see her ‘away from the talent world’.
Mirror Entertainment posted a video on YouTube of Oti arriving in Australia. She was asked whether she is worried about spiders, to which she replied: “I’m from South Africa, we hang out with the spiders.”
She added that she is “excited to be here, I’ve always wanted to be in this country”, and told the interviewer that her goodbyes back at home were “emotional but good”.
Joining Oti in the jungle is Corrie star Alan Halsall, WAG Coleen Rooney, TV presenter GK Barry, singer Tulisa, former boxer Barry McGuigan, radio DJ Melvin Odoom, Loose Women's Jane Moore, musician Danny Jones and radio presenter Dean McCullough.
I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here 2024 starts at 9 pm on Sunday 17 November on ITV1 and ITVX.