Oti Mabuse shares how her relationship with her body has changed since giving birth
Oti Mabuse had to "relearn the relationship" with her body after giving birth to a little girl.
Oti Mabuse had to "relearn the relationship" with her body after giving birth.
The 34-year-old dancer has a 17-month-old daughter with her husband Marius Iepure - whose name they have never revealed publicly - and admitted that in the days since she became a mother, she has had to embrace her physical self for the sake of her daughter.
She told The Guardian: "I had to relearn that relationship [with my body], because she watches and hears everything that I say. She’s going to hear that and talk about her body that way. I’m still learning, and I’m still trying to get to a point where I look at myself and I go, ‘Good girl! You’ve done really well, you’re amazing.’"
Meanwhile, the 'Dancing on Ice' judge first found fame as a professional on the BBC's 'Strictly Come Dancing', and she reflected that the platform gave her the chance to represent other women who may not have seen themselves on screen before that.
She said: "If I had seen a woman like you, who was your colour or had your [body] or your hair, I probably would have never stopped dancing.’ I think 'Strictly' brought me to that audience that had never seen anyone who looked like me. People felt OK in being themselves, because they saw that.
"I represent not just women, or black women, I represent African women, and I represent African women who come over from Africa to Europe."
In 2019, Oti won the series with actor Kelvin Fletcher, and again in 2020 with comedian Bill Bailey, and noted that the victories only came to her once she realised she had to "push harder" for success.
She said: "I needed the, ‘Oti, maybe you’re not pushing yourself hard enough. You’ve got to push yourself a little harder.’ When I pushed myself the hardest, I won twice."
