News that Oti Mabuse had quit Strictly Come Dancing came as a shock to fans and her fellow dancers alike – but the 31-year-old had been considering the move for some time.
Despite her lifelong love of dance, Oti had been longing to try something new. And after presenting stints on Steph’s Packed Lunch and panel roles on The Greatest Dancer, The Masked Singer and Dancing On Ice, she felt ready to fly solo.
Talking ahead of her new show, Romeo & Duet – on which blindfolded singletons pick out the people whose singing voices they find attractive, then go off to learn a duet to perform with them – she says, “I’m challenging myself, you know? What I wanted to do, honestly, was grow. I want to, hopefully, be blessed with a long career, which means I can do other things, whether it be a sports show or a dancing programme.
