BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Motsi Mabuse speaks out on sister Oti's ITV I'm A Celebrity criticism

Strictly Come Dancing star Motsi Mabuse has addressed not speaking publicly about her sister's appearance in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here after messages from fans.

Former Strictly pro and Dancing on Ice judge Oti Mabuse has been winning more fans while taking part in the 2024 run of the ITV reality series, which kicked off earlier this month.

Oti swapped the dance floor for the jungle alongside a number of other famous faces including Coronation Street star Alan Halsall, BBC Radio 1 presenter Melvin Odoom, WAG Coleen Rooney, former boxer Barry McGuigan and McFly star Danny Jones.

READ MORE: ITV I'm A Celebrity's Danny Jones 'seals' 2024 series win despite 'unfair' moment risking title

Earlier this week, the TV star and dancer left I'm A Celeb viewers in tears as she opened up to Reverend Richard Coles about the "hell" she went through following the premature birth of her daughter last year.

She told Richard she was not allowed to hold her baby daughter and had to use her voice to connect with her. "They find comfort in your voice," Oti said. "For two months, every single day we’d sing church music." Richard then appeared to get emotional as he remembered baptising a "premature boy", who was "only just alive", and he and Oti shared an emotional hug.

He added: "I just remember he was this tiny little pulse of life, and David [his late partner] got a pipette of water and we blessed it, and we baptised him and he survived, and now he’s a healthy young footballer, which is great. But I just felt so… it was such a precious thing."

Dancing on Ice judge Oti said: "They are (precious), 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."

Becoming tearful, she added that the worst thing was that "every night, you need to leave them, you need to leave your baby in someone else’s hands". Oti also told Richard: "Maybe you can say a prayer over her, I would really love that." He said he had "already said a prayer for her", and they embraced again while she became more emotional.

But Motsi, who has been a judge on Strictly for a number of years, seemingly came under fire for not referencing her sister's stint Down Under on social media.

In response to one of her posts on her Instagram Story, one of her followers said: "Never seem to post much about your sister." Sharing a screengrab of the comment, Motsie then responded back on her Stories: "Oti is a fighter. She's built her path by doing things her way, and she's abosolutely thriving right now.

"This is her moment, and I couldn't be prouder of her. I suppoer 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. [red heart emojis] @otimabuse."