Former Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse has shared her hopes to expand her family in the not too distant future.
The Dancing On Ice judge, 33, welcomed her first child - a girl - with dancer husband Marius Lepure, 41, around five months ago.
The little girl was born prematurely however and needed to stay in hospital for six weeks until she was strong enough to be taken home.
Despite this traumatic experience, Mabuse has not been put off from having more children, saying becoming a mother gave her “a purpose”.
"I’d like as many as I can afford,” she told The Times when asked about expanding her family.
"What I have been through shocked me, but it made me even stronger. For the first time in my life I have a purpose, which is for my family to have a good life. You can imagine if I’m ambitious in my work, how ambitious I am as a mum. This industry has its ups and downs but I love it and I’m doing it all for my baby and my husband. I’m the breadwinner and I am taking care of my family."
It’s not the first time that the South African native has opened up about her daughter’s eventful arrival.
Appearing on Giovanna Fletcher’s Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast, Mabuse confirmed that she and her husband kept the birth a secret for nine weeks to enjoy some quiet family time.
"She was very premature, she came really, really early - unexpected premature which was a big, big shock,” she explained. “Going through that emotional trauma that you go through when you have a premature baby, and then being in hospital with the little one for six weeks and then finally coming out and having her home with friends and family over Christmas was really nice.”
