Oti Mabuse has finally revealed the real reason she quit Strictly Come Dancing.
The 33-year-old dancer shocked fans in February last year when she announced she was leaving the show after seven years as a double winner.
And despite going from strength to strength, the star admitted she had many “dark days” where she couldn’t eat and would “cry” in the shower.
Oti won the Glitterball trophy in back-to-back years alongside Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher, 37, and comedian Bill Bailey, 56, leading many to believe the South African could pull off a sensational hat-trick.
But on the All Change podcast, Oti admitted that the pressure of dealing with the celebrity contestants and the stress she was putting on herself became too much.
Opening: Oti Mabuse has finally revealed the real reason she quit Strictly Come Dancing
This forced her to turn to her husband, fellow dancer Marius Lepure, whom she praised as an “amazing” person.
She explained: “Luckily my husband was again a great person who saw the dark days, the days when I stand in the shower with my clothes on and cry because it’s so hard and overwhelming.”
“He’s seen me not eating, he’s seen me overeating, he’s seen me struggling with not being able to bring out the best in someone.”
“He saw me interacting with ‘interesting people’.”
“So he’s the person who looked behind the scenes when I got to the point where I was like, ‘I think I’m done.’ He was like, “Yeah.”
She said she knew it was a shock when she threw in the towel after appearing on the show for seven years and becoming one of its most recognizable faces.
Oti added: “I came from the biggest show on TV. “Every single person on this planet, in this country, loves Strictly. People are obsessed.
“If you’re from there, you’re part of that group, and then when you decide to leave, it’s like, ‘What? What do you think?”
Sad: The 33-year-old dancer shocked fans in February last year when she announced she was leaving the show after seven years as a double winner
STOP! And despite going from strength to strength, the star admitted she had many “dark days” where she couldn’t eat and “cried” in the shower (Pictured in 2020 with Bill Bailey when they won season 18)
Support: Oti revealed the pressure became too much and she was forced to turn to her husband, fellow dancer Marius Lepure, who she praised as an “amazing” person
“I was often asked, ‘Why should you leave? You’re happy, you’re at the top of your pro game, you pro game, you won the show?”
But Oti, whose sister Motsi is still a judge on Strictly, said she wanted to move on to other projects that would “put fire in my belly” again.
Luckily for her, she later became a judge on “Dancing on Ice” and hosted her own dating show “Romeo & Duet.”
She added: “I was really lucky at that point, just after I won my second title [on Strictly]ITV held their arms open and they said, “Hey, come in!”
“So when I jumped, there was a place to land. Even though I left, there was this whole world, a new family that opened doors for me, and that’s happiness, and I have to be honest, that’s what I have to be grateful for.”
Oti is an eight-time South African Latin American champion and first joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2015 when she was paired with Olympic boxer Anthony Ogogo, 33, and came 14th.
The following year she reached the final with Hollyoaks actor Danny Mac (33) and lost to eventual winner Ore Oduba (36).
In 2017, she partnered Paralympian Jonnie Peacock, 28, and finished in 8th place, before appearing with Graeme Swann, 42, for the 2018 series of the show, where she was eliminated in week 8.
She became only the second professional dancer to win the show twice, winning the Glitterball alongside Kelvin in 2019 and Bill in 2020.
During her final series of 2021, she played with rugby star Ugo Monye, 38, and finished 11th in the Covid-19 affected season.
In April last year, Oti hinted that 2021 could be her final season of Strictly.
She said: “I love dancing and I also love bringing joy to so many people, but that’s what I think.” [this year’s Strictly] will be the last.
Double champion! She left Strictly after winning the Glitterball trophy in two consecutive years alongside Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher, 37 (pictured in 2019) and comedian Bill Bailey, 56
“To be part of a show like Strictly, which is so diverse in every sense of the word, is incredible.”
This comes after Oti and husband Marius surprised both guests and viewers by announcing on television that they were expecting their first child.
Oti hugged her husband and began the final part of their show as usual, before teasing that they had “brought some good news with them.”
She said: “Speaking of things you didn’t know at home, we have something for you all, we have good news for you. We’re having a baby!’
The pair then shared a warm hug as the crew could be heard cheering, while Marisha and Chizzy looked completely shocked by the revelation.
After confirming the news live on air, Oti took to Instagram to share a series of sweet snaps of herself cradling her baby bump while posing alongside Marius.
Oti cuddled up to her husband in the snaps and opened up about her pregnancy in an accompanying caption. She admitted she was “scared” but described it as “the best news”.
She also hinted at her due date as she shared that her “beautiful journey” is “almost over” and teased that “Christmas is about to get even louder.”
Oti wrote: “Our ‘yes’ year just keeps getting better and so does our little family.” We finally feel ready and excited to share our wonderful news.
“This is new to us, scarier than swimming with sharks, jumping off cliffs or even swinging from bridges, but the best news we could ever ask for.”
“We already love our little bundle of joy so much… and can’t wait to see what our future will look like as a family of three and Leo. So far it has been a wonderful journey with close friends and family and is almost over, but we have learned a lot along the long road…. Christmas is about to get even louder.’
Oti and Marius met at a dance competition in Germany and took part in several competitions together.
Marius popped the question to the Dancing On Ice judge on his birthday in 2014 and the couple married that same year.
Romance: Oti and Marius met at a dance competition in Germany and took part in several competitions together. Marius popped the question in 2014 and they married that same year