Oti Mabuse will make her Dancing on Ice debut this weekend as the show’s newest judge, and ahead of the series, the professional dancer has been seeking advice from none other than her sister, and Strictly Come Dancing judge Motsi Mabuse.
“We’re really close, my sister and I,” Oti told press including RadioTimes.com. “And what we know from sharing a moment is that we’re quite loud and literally are so bubbly. And her advice to me was just to be myself.”
As well as Motsi – who joined the BBC series in 2019 – Oti says she was congratulated by some of her other co-stars.
She said: “Everyone from the BBC literally congratulated me and said the same thing, ‘Just be yourself, be honest, say what you see and say what you feel and say how you kind of hope they would improve and how they can better themselves, because at the end of the day, it’s about the celeb, it’s about the show, and it’s about helping them get better to actually win.”
This will be Oti’s first role where she’s solely a judge. She previously worked on the BBC’s Greatest Dancer, where she took on a combined role of a panellist and captain, and on ITV’s The Masked Dancer, where she acted as a “dance detective”, with the aim of the show being to guess the identity of the celebrity behind the mask rather than grade their dancing skills.
So, how does she feel about strictly being a judge?
“I’ve done a couple of panel shows, but I’ve been like a dance captain, or a dance detective, so I’ve never actually been said to be a judge. I love competition and I love watching people kind of learn new skills and try and get better every single week,” she said.
“It’s a journey that I absolutely enjoy being a part of and watching and to know that I’m doing it with ice skating is very exciting. I literally cannot wait. I’m buzzing!”
Dancing on Ice starts on ITV on Sunday 16th January 2022 at 6:30pm. Want something else to watch? Check out our full TV Guide or visit our Entertainment hub for the latest news.