Ex-Strictly Come Dancing pro Oti Mabuse reveals real reason she quit show

Oti Mabuse has shared the real reason she exited Strictly Come Dancing, revealing that she struggled behind-the-scenes, including not wanting to eat and crying in the shower.

The pro dancer shocked Strictly fans last February when she announced she was quitting the BBC ballroom stalwart following seven seasons.

During her tenure she lifted the glitterball twice, in 2019 and 2020 with Kevin Fletcher and Bill Bailey, respectively.

And now the 33-year-old has decided to open up on her decision to leave while also praising her husband Marius Lepure for helping her through her struggles off-camera.

Speaking on the All Change podcast, she told host Annie Mac: “Luckily my husband again has been an amazing person who has seen the dark days, the days where I’m in the shower crying with my clothes on because it’s so hard and it’s so overwhelming.

“He’s seen me not eat, he’s seen me overeat, he’s seen me struggle with not being able to get the best out of someone. He’s seen me having to deal with interesting personalities.”

Mabuse continued: “So, he’s the person that’s seen the behind the scenes at the point where I’d got to where I was like, ‘I think I’m finished.’

“He was like, ‘Yeah, I think there’s this new thing that’s got a fire in your stomach. When you’re hosting or talking to people, you’re a completely different person.’”

Mabuse also explained how her decision to leave after seven years shocked viewers, but was driven by her desire to take on other projects that “put the fire in my belly”.

She added: “I came from the biggest show on television. Every single human being on this planet, in this country, loves Strictly. People are obsessed.

“When you come from there, you are with that group, then when you decide you’re going to leave it’s like: ‘What? What do you mean?’

"I was met with a lot of: ‘Why would you leave? You’re happy, you’re at the top of your professional game, your professional game, you won the show?’”

Since leaving the show, Mabuse, who is expecting her first child, has become a panellist on The Masked Dancer as well as a judge on Dancing on Ice.