Oti Mabuse was a fan favourite among Strictly's loyal watchers but this year she steps into pastures new as she takes on a new role as a judge on ITV's Dancing on Ice. But behind the scenes, Oti is getting to grips with another new role as a mother. The professional dancer, 33, announced that she had given birth to a beautiful baby girl on Christmas Day last year.
Oti shared a sweet family photo with her husband and fellow dancer Marius Lepure in matching festive pyjamas to announce their new arrival to the world. The new mother looked at her new little bundle of joy lovingly whilst Marius held their dog. Fans have wondered when Oti may announce their daughter's name to the world, but there is a chance that she may never do so.
There is every chance that Oti will take after her sister, Strictly judge Motsi Mabuse, who has also decided to never publicly announce the name of her now-five-year-old daughter. Motsi, 42, has been very protective of her daughter when it comes to the limelight and has opted for privacy reasons to keep her daughter's name and face away from the public eye. In a light-hearted moment on last season's Strictly, the judge offered feedback to a contestant, Bad Education's Layton Williams, and his pro partner Nikita Kuzmin, saying: "The centre is too open, so if it’s open it’s difficult for [beginning of her daughter’s name]. I’m sorry. I just said my daughter’s name!".
© InstagramThe judge continued: "You know I'm a mum! Nikita and my daughter's names are quite similar. Sorry everybody!". Motsi has shared an array of adorable photos with her 591 thousand Instagram followers, including snaps with her husband of six years and former dance partner, Evgenij Vozynuk, but is particular about keeping her little one's face away from the camera. It appears Oti is now following in her sister's footsteps by sharing snippets of her daughter's first weeks without revealing too many personal details.
© InstagramOti's decision has been a bone of contention amongst her fans. In the comments of a sweet video of Oti taking her daughter on a woodland walk, one fan commented: "Gorgeous, why not reveal her name as yet? X". A fellow fan replied saying, "They have six weeks to register the name and birth of their child - maybe they just want to keep it to themselves and enjoy being a family whilst also sharing their joy without showing her face." Another said: "Beautiful. Keep your baby's name to yourselves as long as you want, I hope you don't feel any pressure to reveal it before it suits you."
© InstagramElsewhere on Oti's social media, she shares glimpses of her life as a new mother. The dancer posted an adorable selfie snuggled up with her baby daughter on her chest with her husband asleep with his head on her shoulder. She wrote: "Now I know why I have 2 shoulders… to hold up the loved ones." She also shared a video of her quiet New Year's Eve with her family. She said: "2020 MORE!!!! Here’s to more love, more success, more family time, more good genuine friendships, more blessings and more self-belief."
© InstagramFans also caught a glimpse of her little one on Motsi's social media. The Strictly judge shared a photo holding her baby niece which was captioned: "Merry Christmas. Call us Auntie & Uncle !! Welcome to the family baby girl @otimabuse & @mariusiepure welcome to parenthood lol it’s going to be fun." She even included a photo with her adorable rarely-seen daughter by the Christmas tree.
