Oti Mabuse stands defiant against racist and fat-shaming trolls

Oti Mabuse has revealed she is subjected to "horrible" fat-shaming and racist abuse from online trolls on social media.

But the new Dancing On Ice judge and twice Strictly Come Dancing champion said she has not spoken out about it previously because she is determined to remain strong against the haters.

Mabuse told the Radio Times: “I’ve never really spoken about it because I’ve tried for so long to think about it this way: I work on a show that 10 million people love; if 10 or 100 people aren’t nice to me, that is not representative of everyone else’s views.

“To get tweeted or receive a message in my inbox being racially abusive, or fat-shaming me, is horrible. But it’s written by a person who can’t even face themselves in the mirror.

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“The hard stuff that I’ve been through, with the racism and discrimination, is proof that people still have a lot to learn. The more hate I receive the more of a reason it is to carry on doing my job. I have to show young girls that anything is possible. I have to fight, and be strong.”

The 31-year-old South African dancer - who won Strictly in 2020 with comedian Bill Bailey and in 2019 with Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher- also spoke about her struggle to rise up in the entertainment industry as a Black woman.

She said: “When you do something good, it’s not good enough because you’re Black. Some people say you’re on a show because the channel needs to tick a box.

"Which means you’re not worthy of being there. But I think that just shows where people who make those comments are in their own lives. Being Black makes me special.”

Mabuse - the younger sister of Strictly judge Motsi Mabuse - has joined the judging panel of Dancing On Ice this year following the departure of John Barrowman.

She has previously served as a TV judge on BBC's The Greatest Dancer.

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Oti previously revealed how it was her sister Motsi who set her up with her now-husband and dance partner Maurius Lapure.

She said: “When I said I wanted to become a professional dancer, Motsi suggested a few boys I could trial with as dance partners. Marius was the first and only try-out I had. I cancelled all the others. I was like, ‘This is the one.’”

Watch: Will Oti Mabuse return to Strictly Come Dancing?