Strictly fans celebrate as Oti Mabuse confirms special brief return
Oti Mabuse has made a brief return to Strictly Come Dancing!
The South African professional dancer previously appeared on the hit BBC show for six years, beginning her stint in 2015.
In 2019 and 2020, Oti became the first Strictly pro to win two series back-to-back, first with former Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher, and again with comedian Bill Bailey.
Following her double triumph, Oti announced in 2021 that she would be leaving the show. She has since become a judge on ITV’s Dancing On Ice.
Now, three years after leaving Strictly, the BBC has confirmed that Oti has made a special, brief return to the dancefloor as a choreographer!
Last night, the team behind Strictly took to Instagram to share a behind-the-scenes video of this weekend’s professional dance, revealing that Oti has choreographed the routine.
In their caption, they penned: “Oti Mabuse is back and bringing the heat to the Ballroom choreographing this week’s Pro Dance.”
In the video, the group of professional dancers can be seen rehearsing the number, as Oti explained the female-led inspiration behind it.
“The story is quite intense. So, in this cup, Nancy [Xu] is the queen, everybody is in awe of her. When Dianne [Buswell] comes in, she’s a new type of queen. When they see each other, we play with the idea of, are they going to dance it off?” the 34-year-old detailed.
Professional dancers Nancy and Dianne shared their approval for the dance, as Nancy gushed: “It’s one of my favourite dance styles. Passion, fire, Paso Doble!”
Meanwhile, Dianne added: “We also use fans, which can be a little bit difficult, especially when you’re trying to match the fans with all the other girls.”
Oti then went on to note: “I’m definitely not taking it easy on them! The dance is high energy. When you watch those girls kicking their legs, stretching, shaping their bodies, and the boys and their passionate sliding on their knees. It is going to be full out.”
Many Strictly viewers have since been reacting to Oti’s return, with one commenting: “Ooo yes Oti! Always love your choreography.”
“I love Oti, she’s my fave dancer ever,” another added.
