Thursday night’s episode of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! was a rollercoaster of emotions as Oti Mabuse opened up about her struggles in the Australian jungle.
The 34-year-old former Strictly Come Dancing star and current Dancing On Ice judge 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.”
She continued by highlighting the absence of her support system: “You don’t have your normal support you know, you don’t have your spiritual support, you don’t have your emotional support, you don’t have your physical… it’s the mental and physical support for me which for me I was just like: ‘Wow, ok none of my family’s around.'”
Her campmates rallied around her, with Tulisa Contostavlos offering words of comfort, telling the star: “Your jungle family’s here though.”
Later, in a heartfelt moment in the Bush Telegraph, Oti reflected: “I just have to remind myself why I’m here, I just have to push and dig deep. I’m here for my daughter and I have to be strong. It’s just exhausting sometimes to be strong,” reports the Express.
Fans on Twitter were quick to express their sympathy for Oti, with comments such as: “Oti hate seeing you upset you are so strong #ImaCeleb”, “Protect Oti at all costs, I love her #ImACeleb”, and “Awww Oti #ImACeleb” accompanied by crying emojis.
Another fan tweeted their readiness to fly to Australia to offer Oti support: “Me on my way to Australia to give Oti a hug and to tell her how loved she is by the public #ImACeleb.”
Fans have been pouring out their love for Oti Mabuse on social media during her stint on I’m A Celebrity, with comments like “I LOVE YOU OTI MABUSE #imaceleb”, “Oti is an angel #ImaCeleb”, and “Everyone comforting Oti protect her at all costs! #ImACeleb”. Another fan called her “Oti is an absolute sweetheart #ImACeleb.”
As the excitement builds, relatives of the show’s celebrities, including Danny Jones, Oti, and Tulisa, have been seen heading to Australia, with one contestant tipped for an early exit this week.
Oti Mabuse’s family, including her mother, husband Marius, and their baby daughter, arrived in Brisbane to support her. Marius Iepure expressed his joy at caring for their daughter while Oti braves the jungle, saying, “I love it. We couldn’t get out of the plane because she was still sleeping! She’s so good. We have the best baby ever.”
Marius is also eagerly anticipating their reunion, sharing, “Oh my God, yeah. You can imagine. And this one [their baby] cannot wait.”
When asked about his thoughts on Oti joining the show, he revealed that they had discussed the possibility for years and that Oti had always been keen on the idea, saying, “We were discussing this for a few years, how it would be, and she always said she would love to do it.”
I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! airs every night at 9pm on ITV1, STV and ITVX