Strictly Come Dancing judge Motsi Mabuse has opened up about her fears following her sister Oti’s departure from the show. The siblings enjoyed three seasons together on Strictly, with Motsi in the judging seat and I’m A Celebrity star Oti dazzling as one of the professional dancers.
After Oti’s exit following the 2021 season, Motsi confessed to Fabric magazine that she was left feeling ‘afraid’. She shared: “Yes, I miss her, but she’s still on the show, because she watches the show.
“We’re always communicating by phone. Like if there’s a break, I’m connected to Oti. And sometimes, she’s like: ‘Fix your hair! or like, ‘What did you just say?'” Motsi added: “It’s like she’s there with me. Being without her was what I was afraid of, but she’s there with me. So, she never really left Strictly. She might not be there in person, but her presence will always be felt.”
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Motsi also revealed that Oti is still involved behind the scenes, saying: “And she’s doing a bit of choreography as far as I know – as much as she says to herself that she’s gone, I don’t think she’ll ever leave Strictly.”
At 43, Motsi has been part of the Strictly judging panel since 2019, while her younger sister Oti, 34, has won the glitterball trophy twice with partners Kelvin Fletcher and Bill Bailey.
Since leaving Strictly, Oti has judged on Dancing on Ice and recently made it to the final four in I’m A Celebrity. Oti has also spoken candidly about the competitive nature of her relationship with Motsi, admitting they would sometimes go days without speaking, reports Lancs Live.
Speaking on the Parenting Hell podcast with Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe, she revealed: “But, in our house, Scrabble is not Scrabble for us, Scrabble for us is like the Gladiators (we’re like) ‘this is war’.”
“We don’t play them (board games) anymore, because when somebody loses we don’t talk to each other for three days.”
She further explained: “I think all three of us, no, actually all five of us, the whole family, is extremely competitive and it stems from not even just dancing. Dancing is the one thing we actually do as a family that brings us together, we motivate each other, we do TikToks, it’s fun, we’re not competing in that way.”
The Strictly Come Dancing final will be broadcast tonight (Saturday, December 14) at 6pm on BBC One.