Strictly Come Dancing is back, and if you look closely, you might spot Oti Mabuse on your Saturday night TV screen. Only, not in the way a recent slew of ‘Oti returns to Strictly!’ headlines might suggest.
‘I’m not back!’ the former Strictly pro dancer laughs. ‘I’m choreographing. I’m behind the scenes. I’m just happy that people are like, "OK, we can tell that this is choreography by Oti Mababe". I love that.'
The truth is, Oti’s life has moved on in so many ways since she left Strictly in 2022, bowing out as a two-times winner of the Glitterball Trophy. Since then, there have been numerous new projects, including TV presenting, an impressive stint on last year's I’m A Celebrity, writing a steamy debut novel, Slow Burn, and a nationwide dance tour earlier this year.
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Switching to choreography on Strictly is part of her ‘not so high pressure’ career that lets her devote herself to her true passion – being a mum.
Oti and her husband, fellow dancer Marius Lepure, welcomed their daughter in 2023, and endured a rocky start to parenthood. Oti developed undetected sepsis during the pregnancy, which meant their daughter (whose name they keep private) was born prematurely and spent six weeks in hospital. Understandably, it’s made Oti even more determined to cherish every moment of motherhood and also prioritise her own wellbeing.
‘These days, I focus on nourishing my body, and honestly, I feel more beautiful in this season of life than ever before,’ she says. ‘After becoming a mum, I respect my body in a completely different way. I look at my daughter, she's got big eyes and big lashes, and she's loud, and I'm like, “My body created that! My body is amazing”.’
Motherhood has also strengthened her stance on body positivity, an issue close to her heart. ‘It means so much to me, because my daughter absorbs everything,’ she says. ‘The amount of times I used to look in the mirror and I would just pull in my tummy. Then she’s doing that the next day, and I'm like, “Oh my god”. So everything I do, every action, everything I say around her, is so important.’
Oti has spoken candidly about being ‘badly fat-shamed’ about her post-partum figure but feels she’s found new strength to deal with this shocking abuse. ‘I'm at the point in my life where I've just accepted who I am,’ she says. ‘My weight still fluctuates depending what time of the month it is, how much I go to gym, how stressed I am but the fact is, my body is healthy and strong.’
‘When I had the baby, I was pre-diabetic, and I’ve got PCOS [polycystic ovarian syndrome]. It means when you want to lose weight, it’s a lot more difficult. Food responds differently in your body than it would in a regular person's body.’
‘Learning about all that and taking that seriously has made a big change. Where my weight is, that’s where my body is at, and I’m happy with that, because I’m healthy and I have enough energy to be with my baby and my husband.’
Oti attributes much of her wellbeing to better nutrition, made easier with Green Chef healthy meal kits and a new line of home-delivery recipe boxes targeted at female health and hormonal balance. ‘I’m eating to help stabilise where I am hormonally, and also easing the bloating and the cravings and the low energy you get once a month when you’re not feeling yourself,’ she says.
‘As a busy mum, I don’t always have time to think about what nutrients I’m getting, but this makes it so simple. It’s all the good stuff that supports my skin, hair and nails. My energy’s up, my skin is clearer, and I just feel more alive, and it’s coming from the inside out.’
Clawing back time in the kitchen is a boon to Oti, who is endlessly juggling work life, family life and self-care. ‘Being a mum and trying to have a skincare regime is wild,’ she laughs. ‘I have to do things before she wakes up or after she’s gone to bed. If she’s awake it’s got to be quick, and I’ll prioritise hydration and SPF.’
‘But when she goes to bed, I have a little spa moment in the bathroom where I double-cleanse, take a shower, put a mask in my hair, and make sure that I'm taking care of my skin before bed so I can feel really rested when I wake up.’
The results of her skin-vestment were evident when she went bare-faced on I’m A Celebrity. ‘It was so freeing, she says. ‘Luckily, I was with a very emotionally intelligent group, having the most incredible conversations, so it didn't really matter what you looked like. The only thing that I wanted was to be moisturised. I think Coleen Rooney showed us that wearing sunscreen is the trick to nice, glowy, dewy skin.’
Since returning from Australia, Oti has found herself bringing makeup back into her everyday beauty routine, not as a cover-up but as a self-motivation signal. ‘If I’m wearing tinted moisturiser plus concealer and a little bit of mascara, it just gets me in the mood to start my day and to get more productive, even if I’m just chilling at home and need to do the cleaning,’ she says.
Getting properly glammed up for work is still something she loves, even after all these years. ‘It was so much fun on my dance tour. After months of leggings, nappies and topknots, putting on lashes and a bold lip felt like stepping back into my power. I’m still me, just a more sparkly, glammed-up version, and I love showing my daughter that you can be soft and strong, glamorous and grounded, all at once. Once in a while, she loves to join in and do my makeup!’
So, will being a choreographer on Strictly make Oti nostalgic for those marathon Saturday makeovers? Actually, probably not.
‘I’m just happy that my ideas are out there, my connection,’ she says. ‘I don't have that pressure, I'm not there centre stage, and the dance is not on me. Just leaving my energy is enough for me on Strictly.’
Oti's beauty must-haves
I think MAC is fantastic. I do a lip combo with this lip liner, and then a Lipglass Air Non-Sticky Gloss, £23, that's a little bit lighter.
Fenty Hydra Vizor Huez Tinted Moisturizer SPF30
For foundation, it’s always going be Fenty - of course. Wearing a tinted moisturiser is a must, just for feeling ready for the day and also for making me do my nighttime skincare cleansing regime.
Made by Mitchell Colour Case Cosmetic Paint Palette The Essentials
I found this because I’m a huge TikTok girl, if I see something on a Live, I’m like ‘wow, great, I’ll buy it!’ I like Made by Michell palettes for concealer, blush and contour.
Soap & Glory Thick and Fast Mascara
This is the mascara I’m using at the moment. I like that it’s really good and you’re not having to spend hundreds of pounds on makeup to say ‘this is what I look now’.
Kurl Kitchen Curl-Defining Baobab Wheat and Okra Leave-In Conditioner
This range is by good friend Fleur. Her products are absolutely incredible. I use them not just on me but on my daughter as well. This one’s got okra in it, which is great for black hair.
Dr Barbara Sturm Darker Skin Tones regime
Her products are insanely good. She has a specific skin range for darker tone skin, and I've seen a massive difference from using it. Her powder cleanser and foam cleanser are really great if you're a double cleanser, like me.
I love the body shimmer oil - I’m always glowing - and the BumBum cream. It smells really nice, and it feels really good. Marius borrows it too. He just loves anything that I use, so if I buy a product for myself, I have to buy two and explain how to use it properly.
Oti Mabuse is an ambassador for Green Chef home delivery meal kits, devised by nutritionists
