Oti Mabuse smiling in I'm A Celebrity official photo
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Oti Mabuse explains why she is doing I’m A Celebrity months after becoming a mum

The actual reason Oti Mabuse signed up for I'm A Celeb 2024

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Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse has revealed it was tough to leave her family for I’m A Celebrity 2024, but her daughter is the real reason she is heading down under.  

The cast of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! 2024 has officially been announced. With only a few days left until the show starts, Oti has given an insight into why she has joined the line-up. 

The 34-year-old former Strictly Come Dancing professional admitted in an ITV interview: “Now I have had my baby daughter, I want to get back to the adventurous and fun Oti.”

Last November Oti gave birth to her daughter, and while the dancer knows it will be tough to not see her for so long, she is going to use that to help her get by.

Oti Mabuse at the Brit Awards 2024
Dancer Oti Mabuse is doing I’m A Celeb this year (Credit: Steve Vas/Future Image/Cover Images)

Oti Mabuse daughter

Oti said: “Of course not seeing my daughter is going to be hard. She is going to be one of my biggest motivators.”

After a year of motherhood, there is one thing that excites Oti about the I’m A Celeb camp; sleep. 

She’s ready to “catch up on a whole year of sleep,” but also thinks her maternal instincts will kick in. This will lead to her being the “comfort mum” for the camp, as she would happily listen to fellow celebs’ stories.

One way she would help brighten the mood in camp is by dancing, as she hopes her moves will “entertain” her fellow celebs. 

She added: “I hope to teach everyone a few moves. We will create our own talent show in the jungle.”

I'm A Celebrity 2024 Lineup
ITV has revealed the I’m A Celebrity 2024 line-up (credit: ITV)

I’m A Celebrity 2024

Not new to competition, the Strictly pro admitted she can’t wait to let her competitive streak come out again. She said: “It’s nice to be determined, ambitious and competitive when it comes to doing a challenge. It will be about getting the stars.”

Someone who will be supporting the celeb throughout her time on the show is her husband, Marius. The pair married 10 years ago, back in 2014, as Oti confessed he got “really excited” when he heard the news. 

Oti and Marius announced the birth of their baby girl – whose name is still unknown – on Christmas Day last year. She was born nine weeks prematurely, spending six weeks in neonatal intensive care. 

Having been the only Strictly professional to ever win the dancing show two years in a row – 2019 with Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher, and 2020 with Bill Bailey – it seems Oti isn’t afraid to get competitive. 

Alongside Oti, fellow celebs include McFly’s Danny Jones and Coleen Rooney. Many fans suspect Love Island star Maura Higgins will enter as one of the latecomers.

Read more: Coleen Rooney shares husband Wayne’s warning over cameras on I’m A Celebrity

I’m A Celebrity begins on Sunday November 17 from 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

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