I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! viewers were moved to tears during an emotional moment between Oti Mabuse and Reverend Richard Coles. The ex-Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer recounted her daughter’s early birth.
Oti revealed that following a premature birth, her baby had to be placed in an incubator, and since she couldn’t hold her newborn, she used song as a means of bonding, noting: “They find comfort in your voice.”
She also shared how she sang church music to her child every single day for two months. Reverend Richard, who has known Oti since their days on Strictly Come Dancing in 2017, was inspired to tell his own heartfelt story.
Recalling a deeply personal memory, he mentioned: “I remember going once to baptise a little boy, a premature boy, he was born very premature, he was only just alive…” Overwhelmed with emotion, Richard paused, struggling to continue, reports OK!.
Showing her support, Oti embraced him as he regained composure to finish his recount: “I just remember he was this tiny little pulse of life, and David [his then 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.”
Oti Mabuse, who welcomed her daughter in November 2023 with husband Marius Iepure, fought back tears as she recounted the difficult early days after her child’s birth.
“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,” she shared.
The professional dancer then revealed the hardest part for her: “every night, you need to leave them, you need to leave your baby in someone else’s hands.” Oti expressed to Richard that she looked forward to him meeting her daughter, saying: “Maybe you can say a prayer over her, I would really love that.”
In a touching response, Richard disclosed he had already said a prayer, leaving fans emotional. On X, previously known as Twitter, one viewer wrote: “Oti and Rev Richard pulling heartstrings tonight, such a nice conversation straight from the heart #ImACeleb.”
While another commented: “Oti and Rev Rich are actually going to make me sob #ImACeleb,” as a third person found themselves reaching for the tissues over the emotional chat, airing: “IM CRYING OVER OTI AND RICHARD I CANNOT #ImACeleb.”
In a later part of their heartfelt conversation, Richard opened up about the loss of his former partner, David, who passed away just before Christmas in 2019 at 43 due to liver disease linked to alcoholism. “I miss him… He’s just left a massive hole in my life and I’m living my life around that loss,” Richard confided.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! airs most nights on ITV from 9pm.