Motsi Mabuse on Strictly Come Dancing
(Picture: Ray Burmiston/BBC)Strictly Come Dancing judge Motsi Mabuse has revealed she currently has 10 Ukrainian refugees living with her amid the ongoing Russian invasion.
The 41-year-old resides in Frankfurt, Germany with her husband Evgenij Vozynuk, who hails from Ukraine, and has moved in her in-laws as well as several others in light of the war.
In an extract from her memoir My Own Rhythm, obtained by The Mirror, Motsi recalled the “shocking” moment her husband received a call from his mother as “bombs” dropped in their hometown but they were unable to leave the country for a week.
She penned: “We were asleep when Evgenij’s mum called us on FaceTime at five o’clock in the morning and said: ‘There are bombs dropping.’ It was so shocking.
“His parents couldn’t get out of the country for a week, but eventually they crossed the border, and at this moment we have about 10 people living with us – our family and refugees.
“We’re trying to relocate everyone. It’s a very different life now that my parents-in-law have come to live with us, possibly forever.”
The BBC star admitted their new living situation is taking a while for her to adjust to, particularly with the language barrier.
Mabuse previously spoke of the impact the invasion has had on her husband’s family in March, during an appearance on This Morning.
At the time, she was asked by host Phillip Schofield about her in-laws, whose neighbour’s house had been bombed, and explained that they were living with them in Germany.
The TV judge, who married Vozynuk in 2020, said: “Their house is gone, they live with us now, we are thinking for forever.
“It affects us all when you see those pictures, I think, if you’re a human being and you see this happening to people, it affects you but when it affected my husband so much, I didn’t think it would affect me so much.”
The dancer added that she and her other half had been doing much to support the Ukrainian people, including selling candles to raise vital funds for charity and using social media to raise awareness about the impact of the war.
