Oti Mabuse is diving back in to Strictly.
The two-time winner will choreograph a routine for the professionals to open the show during Musicals week, airing on December 2.
Oti, who teamed up with fellow choreographer Nikki Trow to create the routine, said: “What an amazing opportunity.”
Oti, 32, was a Strictly pro for seven series, finishing 11th last year with rugby player Ugo Monye.
She lifted the glitterball trophy with her 2019 partner Kelvin Fletcher and in 2020 with Bill Bailey.
Since leaving and taking up roles on the Dancing on Ice and Masked Dancer judging panels, Oti says her body shape has changed.
Posing in sports gear including a diving outfit for Women’s Health, she told the magazine: “I haven’t been dancing, right?
“My body just doesn’t burn as fast as it used to. I was going from dancing – literally running, jumping, being fit all the time – to sitting behind a desk. I’ve learned that I need to make time for the physical aspects.”
Sister Motsi remains a judge on the Strictly panel, having joined in 2019, and Oti recalls discussions about how their family ties would affect Motsi’s criticism of her dance performances.
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She said: “At that point, I’d been on the show for four years, and I go, ‘Oh my gosh, when is it [winning Strictly] gonna happen?!’
“We had a conversation and we were like, ‘Look... you have to do your job, be honest, criticise and do the best you can do.”
She added: “We’re confident, we’re loud, we’re vibrant... our parents fought for us to be here, and being ourselves is one of the reasons why we were hired.”
- Read the full Oti Mabuse interview in the December issue of Women’s Health UK, on sale from 22nd November, also available as a digital edition.
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