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Oti Mabuse reckons next 'Strictly Come Dancing' series will be her last

Oti Mabuse won Strictly with Bill Bailey in 2020. (BBC/Guy Levy)
Oti Mabuse won Strictly with Bill Bailey in 2020. (BBC/Guy Levy)

Oti Mabuse has said this year's instalment of Strictly Come Dancing is likely to be her last.

The South African dancer, who has already been announced to return for the 2021 series, thinks she will move on afterwards.

“I love to dance and love bringing joy to so many people, but I think [the 2021 series] will be the last,” she told The Telegraph.

Read more: Strictly pro wants to dance with Michael McIntyre

Mabuse went on to praise the inclusivity of the show, which has featured disabled contestants such as JJ Chalmers and Will Bayley in recent years.

Oti Mabuse at the Strictly Come Dancing Launch at BBC Broadcasting House in London. (Photo by Keith Mayhew/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Oti Mabuse says this year's Strictly is likely to be her last. (Keith Mayhew/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

She said: “To be part of a show which is so diverse is incredible. It always pushes to open new doors.

“We had JJ Chalmers and Will Bayley… it's become a normal thing. I’m sure they will have a male same-sex couple this year.”

However, she added to the publication: "But honestly, as a woman I can't be dancing forever".

Other career opportunities have already opened themselves up to the two-time Strictly champ, who has acted as a judge on The Greatest Dancer and has joined the panel for upcoming show The Masked Dancer. Plus, she also owns a dance studio.

Oti Mabuse and Kelvin Fletcher won in 2019. (BBC)
Oti Mabuse and Kelvin Fletcher won in 2019. (BBC)

Mabuse said possibilities only arose for her after she moved to the UK, as she found "there were none" in her home city of Pretoria.

Read more: Abbey Clancy didn't enjoy Strictly live shows

She joined the BBC programme in 2015, and lifted the Glitterball trophy with Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher four years later.

Mabuse then made history last year when she and Bill Bailey were crowned the 2020 champions, becoming the first pro to win two years in a row.

She's not the only dancer to win twice however: Aliona Vilani was triumphant in 2011 and 2015 with Harry Judd and Jay McGuiness respectively.

Watch: Strictly bosses 'worried' Oti Mabuse would quit show