Last night’s I’m A Celebrity took an emotional turn as Strictly pro Oti Mabuse gave viewers a rare glimpse of her vulnerability.
However, despite the heartfelt moment, an expert fears that her understated presence in the jungle could jeopardise her chances of making it to the final.
Speaking exclusively to Paddy Power Games, body language expert Judi James analysed Oti’s recent revelation and its impact on her standing in the competition.
Oti Mabuse on I’m A Celebrity
Oti has been a calming presence in the jungle. She has been playing the role of listener rather than vying for the centre of attention.
But last night, she peeled back her polished exterior to share a personal story about her daughter’s premature birth.
Now, a body language expert has weighed in on the dancer’s jungle behaviour.
“Oti has been unrelentingly in ‘Strictly pro’ mode so far in the jungle, but that all changed last night,” Judi James explained.
“The dropping of the ‘Pro Dancer’ body language mask was a total revelation. Strictly dancers are trained to hide their authentic emotions and any physical suffering behind a rictus smile. When they do emote, it tends to be ‘on stage’ performative and overkill, like their floods of tears when their celebrity gets voted off the show.”
Last night marked a shift for Oti as she allowed herself a moment of raw authenticity.
As Oti recounted her daughter’s premature birth, her body language revealed her deep emotional pain.
“When someone fights their emotions as Oti was doing, there is always one key way of judging that authenticity. That is when the tears are contagious,” Judi explained.
“Oti’s body language last night probably had every single viewer reaching for the tissues in what is a naturally occurring response to genuine distress signals.”
However, despite her emotional state, Oti quickly redirected the focus to Richard Coles. Judi described Oti’s actions as “becoming the listener again”.
I’m A Celebrity latest
While Oti’s vulnerability earned her some fans, her reluctance to compete for the spotlight could be a disadvantage.
“Oti is not competing for screen time in the jungle and that could sadly have affected her chances of staying in,” Judi noted.
“Even when she got in the shower there was no classic bikini moment, just a woman very realistically shaving her armpits and doubling with laughter at Melvin [Odoom]’s screams.”
Oti’s focus on supporting others as the “therapist” of the group has made her a likeable contestant. However, it might not stand out with voters who prefer more outspoken or dramatic contestants.
It comes after many viewers begged the show to give Oti more airtime.
However, despite her understated presence, Judi is hopeful that Oti’s kindness could help her stay in the running.
“Hopefully her emotional generosity and authenticity will allow her to avoid being voted out early as less attention-seeking, less spotlight-competitive celebrities can tend to be,” she concluded.
I’m A Celebrity airs every night at 9pm on ITV1.
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