Strictly's Oti Mabuse makes devastating review of marriage and blames BBC show

Oti Mabuse wasn't "100% in" her marriage to Marius Iepure because of the pressures of Strictly Come Dancing.

The 34-year-old dancer - who partnered Kelvin Fletcher and Bill Bailey to victory on the Latin and ballroom show in 2019 and 2020 - admitted she couldn't think of anything but the programme during her seven-year stint and never felt she was "good enough" to be a role model for other black women.

During a conversation on Paul Carrick Brunson's We Need To Talk podcast, Oti said: "It is all you think about 24/7. It's all you do. You're on tour, you're doing other Strictly-associated shows. You're not really 100% in the marriage, because this is gold. The trophy is handmade, by the way, and you're fixated on it."

She went on: "In my head, I felt, 'I'm not good enough. I'm not good enough in my job'. All of this pressure that I [had] - I'm representing black women. I'm representing African women. I stand for so much - if I can't get this job done, I'm not good enough. I don't deserve to be here'."

Oti's husband Marius - who she married in 2014 - stepped in when Oti had broken down in the shower after feeling that the job had taken over her life.

She added: "[Marius] came in, he got in the shower, fully clothed, he picked me up, and he just hugged me and held me. He said, 'It's just a job. You have family, you have friends, you have me and you have food'."

"In that moment, I realised that no matter how much I have this career - and I love the show and everything it encompasses - at the end of the day, I get to go home to the things that make me more. It is not who I am, it's what I do," the TV star added.

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Marius- who appeared on the podcast with Oti and is also a dancer- shared that as someone who is also in the industry, he could support his wife and understood how it felt.

He said: "I'm in that business. I knew what it takes to be a successful dancer and choreographer in a show like that, so it was nothing new. But obviously it's tough and it hurts and it's not the easiest time but you see the end of the tunnel."

It comes after Oti bared all after her postpartum weight loss, says it was never about the number on the scale and she wasn't aiming to get ''skinny''.

The new-mum opened up about her weight loss journey, telling her fans it is ''MY journey''. Revealing she dropped four dress sizes she admitted it was one of the "toughest" experiences she has been through.

Oti gave birth a year ago and suffers with gestational diabetes, but decided to take action and start up a more active, healthy lifestyle. She took to social media to say that this was not an aesthetically driven endeavour, for her it was about health. She said: "It wasn’t just about the number on the scale. It was about feeling stronger, healthier, and more alive."

Dropping a total four dress sizes, Oti moved from a size 18 to a size 10 but made it clear this was not her goal and the tough journey of changing eating habits, implementing a better exercise routine and push her body was never about the number on the scale.

She said her focus on building a healthier lifestyle and strength was key, and she wanted to do this in a way that felt sustainable. Trying new foods and building her confidence were key to work towards a new way of living that felt empowering and seeing her body ''transform'' was worth every effort.

She explained how thrilled she was with the results of her hard graft to her followers. She said: "Wow. To see my body transform, not just in shape, but in how it feels... that’s a win every day.

Oti said this wasn't just about her but was about ''all women'' and she wanted to share her sense of pride and let everyone know what she achieved is possible.

She said: "I’m proud of where I am, at whatever size, and I want every woman to feel that sense of pride too. This isn’t just my journey. It’s MY journey. I would love for you to come along with me—to feel empowered, to feel strong, and to live life fully!"

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