The pressure of Oti Mabuse’s latest BBC dancing show left her weeping in the toilet for an hour, she has revealed.
Greatest Dancer judge Oti, told The Mirror she felt so overwhelmed by having to select just three acts to go through to the live shows that Cheryl had to talk her out of the ladies’.
The 28-year-old Strictly Come Dancing pro also said she felt bad about sending hopefuls home and out of the competition.
However, she has promised not to hide away during the upcoming live shows because she “loves” the nine acts that have made it through to the next stage.
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Reflecting on the eliminations, the South African star admitted she had found the knockout round “so hard”.
“It took me about an hour to come out as I was crying in the bathroom and I didn’t want to do it,” Oti said.
“Choosing the acts was great but it was the saying no which was horrible. It was Cheryl who sat me down and had a talk with me and calmed me down.”
She also said she felt “responsible” for her three acts, comparing being a mentor for them to training up a celebrity for Strictly.
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However, Oti pointed out how that responsibility on The Greatest Dancer is even greater because there is more than one dance partner involved and some of the contestants are children.
Having recently said on her Instagram Stories how she is ‘nervous’ about the live shows, Oti also backed her acts – Latin group KLA, solo teen dancer Ellie and drag act The Globe Girls – to ace their routines.
“They’re so good, they’re so sweet, they’re so talented,” she said.
“And, you know very well I did not take it easy on them.
“I can’t wait for them to actually go out and just perform.”
– The Greatest Dancer airs on BBC One on Saturdays at 7.30pm
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