The former Strictly Come Dancing professional promotes body positivity
The former Strictly Come Dancing professional promotes body positivity
Oti Mabuse has recently shared her struggles with receiving “hurtful” comments regarding her weight and reflected on how women are often “put through the trenches”. In an interview, the ex-Strictly Come Dancing star discussed negative feedback from viewers about her physique, which was something she found “not nice”.
Renowned for her appearances on Dancing On Ice too, Oti underscored her commitment to “body positivity” although admitting these comments have been a challenge to shrug off. She told The Times: “Women get put through the trenches a lot of the time. And I guess we do wear dresses and it’s about the fashion and that’s how people monetise it. But I was getting the most compliments when I was not having a healthy lifestyle, not making healthy lifestyle choices.”
“I guess I’ve always been about body positivity and women feeling comfortable in their own skin, but when a picture has been taken of you, and someone goes out of their way to make you feel terrible, that’s not nice. That’s actually quite hurtful.”
She expressed the difficulty of dealing with such negativity, despite trying not to let it affect her. Embracing her uniqueness, Oti said: “I look completely different from other women, but I’m doing it anyway”, as she continues to work through her personal struggles.
In January, Oti Mabuse shared a candid insight about the valuable lesson she learned after her weekend breakfast show was axed. While on air, Oti’s programme aired on Saturdays, while Laura Whitmore hosted the Sunday slot, reports the Manchester Evening News.
The talented South African dancer came into prominence on Germany’s Let’s Dance before joining the UK’s Strictly Come Dancing in its 13th season, clinching victories with Kelvin Fletcher and Bill Bailey. After departing the BBC series in 2021, Oti embraced a new role in 2022 as a judge on ITV’s Dancing on Ice alongside legends Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean, as well as Diversity frontman Ashley Banjo.
In a reflective discussion with The Times, Oti said: “But the biggest lessons you get are from the failures. The most successful people are the ones who have failed over and over and over again and not given up.”