Oti Mabuse
South African Latin and ballroom star Oti Mabuse is best known for bringing Saturday nights to life on the ±«Óãtv’s flagship dancing show Strictly Come Dancing.
| Fact title | Fact data |
|---|---|
| Role |
Dance Captain
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In the 17th and most recent series of Strictly, Oti was partnered with Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher. The two delighted viewers and judges alike, dancing their way to victory, winning the coveted Glitterball trophy.
Proving that she has the passion and drive to teach anyone to dance, Oti has also been partnered with boxer Anthony Ogogo, soap star Danny Mac (with whom she ended up coming 2nd and scoring a perfect 40 with their Charleston, Samba and Showdance), Paralympian Jonnie Peacock and cricketer Graeme Swann.
Born in Pretoria, South Africa, Oti has been dancing with older sister Motsi (who is also a professional dancer and judge on Strictly Come Dancing) since a young age. Viewers may not know that despite a natural flair for dance, Oti studied Civil Engineering at University. However after realising that this wasn’t the career path for her, Oti moved to Germany where she got her first taste of television talent shows on Let’s Dance (the German version of Strictly), where her sister Motsi was also a judge.
Throughout her illustrious career, Oti has won many dance titles. She is an eight-time Latin American Champion in South Africa, World European Latin semi-finalist, and German Championship PD Freestyle Latin Champion.
On the first series of The Greatest Dancer Oti mentored eventual winner, Ellie Fergusson, and proudly went on to watch her protegee perform as a special guest on Strictly Come Dancing.
