Oti Mabuse is pregnant! Ex-Strictly dancer announces she is expecting her first child with husband Marius Iepure live on her breakfast show
Oti Mabuse has announced that she is pregnant with her first child with her husband Marius Iepure.
The former Strictly Come Dancing professional, 33, confirmed their surprise baby news live on ITV’s Oti Mabuse’s Breakfast Show on Saturday morning.
She was joined by her Romanian dancer husband, 40, on her weekend chat show as he guided guests Marisha Wallace and Chizzy Akudolu through a dance routine.
But the couple surprised both their guests and viewers when they announced they are expecting their first child in the closing moments of the episode.
Embracing her husband, Oti began the closing segment of her show as normal, before teasing that they had been ‘holding in some good news’.
Congratulations! Oti Mabuse has announced that she is pregnant with her first child with her husband Marius Iepure
She said: ‘Speaking of things that you didn’t know at home, we have a little something for all of you, we’ve been holding some good news. We’re having a baby!’
The couple then shared a warm embrace as the crew could be heard cheering, while Marisha and Chizzy looked completely shocked by the revelation.
Oti and Marius met in Germany during a dance trial and competed together in several competitions.
Marius popped the question on his birthday to the Dancing On Ice judge in 2014 and the pair married the same year.
Although Marius has not followed in his wife’s footsteps with a stint on Strictly, he’s no stranger to TV having appeared on two seasons of German show Let’s Dance.
Oti met Marius just before she was offered Strictly and she recently gushed over her partner moving to England to be with her while she pursued the opportunity.
She told the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine in June: ‘I realise how lucky I was. Marius moved to England for me. He had to make many sacrifices for me, and he had his own goals.
‘He’d be working in Iceland, Romania, Canada, but he would get back to spend the days I had off with me. Sometimes he would only be able to get back for a few hours, but he’d come to Blackpool just so he could cuddle me before a show.
‘Whatever I want, Marius helps me get it. He helps me remember why I’m doing what I’m doing. He’ll say, ‘Think of where you started out. Think of how far you’ve come.’ He’s my biggest cheerleader.’
Oti quit Strictly Come Dancing after the 2021 series following a seven-year stint on the show.
Oti wanted to pursue other TV opportunities having established herself as a talent show judge on ITV’s The Masked Dancer and Dancing On Ice.
She left Strictly after winning the Glitterball trophy in two consecutive years with Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher, 37, and comedian Bill Bailey, 56.
Oti recently insisted she has no regrets about leaving the BBC dance contest, admitting she rejoices about not having to be so restricted with her diet.
‘You have to take care of your body. You have to look a certain way,’ she said. ‘You have to be light enough to execute certain moves. I wasn’t able to eat what I wanted for so many years.’
She won the coveted glitterball twice, a feat only she and Aliona Vilani have managed, and is the only one to have done it in consecutive years.
‘I was literally obsessed with winning Strictly,’ she admitted. ‘I would eat, sleep, drink and think winning Strictly. There was nothing else.
‘You’re in a bubble, on a treadmill. Only when you step off it do you realise, ‘Oh my God, there are all these things I can do now. I can sleep on a Sunday. I’m not waking up at 3am thinking about somebody’s cha-cha steps’. I walked away from all those things and I’m still alive.’
She admitted it was a huge gamble to walk away from Strictly, saying: ‘It hadn’t really been done before.’
‘You didn’t see female Strictly professionals do it,’ she explained. ‘It’s why I have a lot of admiration for Janette [Manrara, who quit dancing on the show to present the companion programme It Takes Two].’