Everything you need to know about Strictly and The Greatest Dancer star Oti Mabuse
Otilile Mabuse, known as Oti, is livening up our screens on Saturday nights starring as a dance captain alongside Cheryl and Matthew Morrison in new BBC dance series, The Greatest Dancer. The dancing mentor is a professional Latin American and ballroom dancer who is best known as a Strictly Come Dancing professional.
Life before Strictly
The South African ballroom star started dancing as a child with fellow sister, Motsi Mabuse, who is a professional dancer and judge on the German version of Strictly Come Dancing, Let's Dance. However, instead of following her childhood dancing dreams, Oti attended university where she studied civil engineering. The excitable dancer then decided to continue pursuing her professional dancing career, winning eight South African Latin American Championship titles. In 2015, following several awards, such as winning the German Championship PD Freestyle Latin title, The Greatest Dancer judge appeared as a professional on Let's Dance.
Oti and her sister, Motsi Mabuse
Strictly Come Dancing
Oti joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2015 and partnered up with Olympian boxer Anthony Ogogo in series 13. Although the pair were knocked out of the competition in week 3, the Latin professional came back fighting in 2016 by partnering with Hollyoaks Danny Mac and reaching the finals. Jonnie Peacock was her next partner who had high hopes of dancing for gold as he did in both the 2012 Summer Paralympics and 2016 Summer Paralympics but was sadly eliminated in week nine. For series sixteen, Graeme Swann waltzed his way all the way to week ten as Oti's second highest placed partner. It seems Graeme and Oti struck up a fantastic friendship, in a recent Instagram post she emotionally congratulated Graeme and Karen Clifton for their first 40 on the Strictly live tour despite commitments inhibiting her personally being there to partner with Graeme.
Oti was partnered with former cricketer Graeme Swann
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Marriage
Oti married ballroom and Latin dancer, Marius Lepur in 2014. The 36-year-old performed as a backing dancer on Strictly in 2017 alongside his wife and despite talks of him becoming a professional on the show he did not appear in the 2018 series. Joking with the Daily Mail about their relationship and reference to the allusive 'Strictly curse' Marius explained: "I've heard about the Strictly curse, but it doesn't bother me one bit. I simply can't afford to get a divorce so it's not going to happen." It seems clear that the laid-back couple are the perfect match, with both sharing a light-hearted approach to their relationship.
Oti and her husband Marius Lepur
The Greatest Dancer
Speaking to the BBC in the wake of her role as dance captain on The Greatest Dancer, the 28-year-old commented on the joy of dancing: "I have everything because of dancing. It's who I am, and it makes me happy, more than people can imagine." It is clear dancing is a huge passion for Oti, and her overwhelming excitement during auditions on The Greatest Dancer further show her hunger for performance.
The first episode of The Greatest Dancer aired on Saturday 5 January, with the final airing on Saturday 16 February with the dancers facing their last challenge, performing alongside their dance captain.
We catch up with The Greatest Dancer's Oti Mabuse, Cheryl and Matthew Morrison:
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