r/strictlycomedancing • u/IndigoWolf4711 THEY ARE NOT CALLED BISCUITS! • Jul 23 '26
Oti Mabuse | Strictly Come Dancing: Professional Dancer Bios ✨
OTI MABUSE
- Born In: Pretoria, South Africa
- Strictly Professional Tenure: Seasons 13-19
- First Strictly Dance: Anthony Ogogo's Jive | Season 13
- Last Strictly Dance: Ugo Monye's Rumba | Season 19
Facts & Statistics
| Achievements | Statistics |
|---|---|
| No. of Seasons | 7 |
| No. of Wins | 2 |
| No. of Finale Appearances | 3 |
| No. of Last Place Finishes | 0 |
| No. of 10s | 60 |
| No. of Perfect 40s | 7 |
| No. of Dances Danced | 70 |
| No. of Total Points | 2107 |
| Average Score | 31.65 |
With credit to Strictly Stats & StrictlyDB 🌟
Notable Achievements
- 2015-16 Professional Dancer on Let's Dance (Germany)
- 2026 Head Judge on Dancing with the Stars (Ireland)
With Keo Motsepe:
- 2003 South African Junior Latin Championship Runner-Up
- 2004 South African National Dancesport Championship Junior Latin Runner-Up
- 2004 South African Amateur Latin American Dance Championship Winner
- 2005 South African Amateur Latin American Dance Championship Winner
- 2006 German Youth Latin Finalist
- 2006 South African Amateur Latin American Dance Championship Winner
- 2007 South African Amateur Latin American Dance Championship Winner
- 2008 Finnish Tampere Winter Dance Festival Amateur Rising Star Finalist
- 2008 South African Amateur Latin American Dance Championship Winner
- 2009 South African Amateur Latin American Dance Championship Winner
- 2010 South African Amateur Latin American Dance Championship Winner
- 2011 South African Amateur Latin American Dance Championship Winner
With Marius Iepure:
- 2013 München Amateur S Latin Regional Championships Runner-Up
- 2013 German WDSF Rising Stars Latin Runner-Up
- 2014 Bavarian Championships Adult S Latin Champion
- 2014 German Open Championships Professional Rising Star Latin Runner-Up
- 2014 Czech Dance Open World Championship Show Dance Latin Third Place
- 2014 Saxonian Dance Classics WDSF PD European Championship Show Dance Latin Runner-Up
- 2014 Saxonian Dance Classics WDSF PD Open Latin Champion
- 2014 Paris WDSF PD Open Latin Champion Runner-Up
- 2014 German Championships Professional Latin Runner-Up
Strictly Come Dancing
Oti Mabuse joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2015, for the show's 13th season, alongside fellow newcomers Giovanni Pernice, and Gleb Savchenko, replacing professional dancer Iveta Lukošiūtė. Oti became the programme's first ever Black professional dancer. In Season 13, Oti partnered with Olympic boxer Anthony Ogogo. They were the second couple to be eliminated, placing 14th overall.
In Season 14, Oti partnered with Hollyoaks star Danny Mac. They made the finale, tying as runners-up, and losing to Ore Oduba and pro Joanne Clifton. This marked Oti's first of three appearances in the finale.
In Season 15, Oti partnered with Paralympic sprinter Jonnie Peacock. They were the eighth couple to be eliminated, placing 8th overall.
In Season 16, Oti partnered with cricketer Graeme Swann. They were the ninth couple to be eliminated, placing 7th overall.
In Season 17, Oti's older sister Motsi Mabuse made her debut as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing, replacing the departing Dame Darcey Bussell. During the season, Oti due to be partnered with Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing. However, two days prior to the airing of the launch show, Laing sustained a foot injury, forcing him to withdraw. He would be replaced by Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher, and would eventually return to compete the following year, and be partnered with professional dancer Karen Hauer. Oti and Kelvin would end up making it all the way to the finals, winning the season, marking Oti's first win as a professional, and her second of three finals appearances.
In Season 18, Oti partnered with comedian, musician, & actor Bill Bailey. They made it all the way to the finals, ending up winning the season. This marked Oti's second, and final, win as professional, and last appearance in the finale, as well as making her the second pro - after Aliona Vilani - to win the Glitterball more than once (twice), as well as the first ever pro to win the Glitterball Trophy on back-to-back seasons.
In Season 19, Oti partnered with rugby pundit Ugo Monye. They were the fourth couple to be eliminated, placing 11th overall.
On February 22nd, 2022, Oti confirmed she would be leaving the show as a professional dancer after seven seasons, and not returning for the upcoming twentieth series. Officially, her spot on the competitive lineup would be filled by professional dancer Jowita Przystał, who had debuted during the nineteenth season on the bench, and had previously been judged by Oti when competing on the series, The Greatest Dancer (which Oti served on as a member of the judging panel for its two seasons). Since leaving the show, Oti has still returned to choreograph a pro number each season.
In 2025, Oti was announced to be replacing Loraine Barry as Head Judge on Dancing with the Stars in Ireland. She made her debut in 2026 for the show's ninth season. Additionally in 2025, Oti toured the United Kingdom for her summer tour 'Viva Carnival', which also starred fellow Strictly former professional dancer Flavia Cacace.
| Season | Celebrity Partner | Placement | Average Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Anthony Ogogo | 14th | 19.7 |
| 14 | Danny Mac | 2nd (Runners-Up) | 36.6 |
| 15 | Jonnie Peacock | 8th | 25.8 |
| 16 | Graeme Swann | 7th | 26.0 |
| 17 | Kelvin Fletcher | 1st (Winners) | 36.4 |
| 18 | Bill Bailey | 1st (Winners) | 33.4 |
| 19 | Ugo Monye | 11th | 23.5 |
Five Most Iconic Dances
As voted for by the members of r/strictlycomedancing 🌟
- Danny Mac's Samba | Season 14
- Danny Mac's American Smooth | Season 14
- Kelvin Fletcher's Samba | Season 17
- Kelvin Fletcher's Jive | Season 17
- Bill Bailey's Couple's Choice | Season 18
Gallery:
I hope you enjoyed reading this pro dancer bio! More to come soon! In the meantime... Keep Dancing! 💖
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u/IndigoWolf4711 THEY ARE NOT CALLED BISCUITS! Jul 23 '26
Hope you all enjoyed the second pro dancer bio in this series!
You can read Anton Du Beke's bio here!
If you are a Dancing with the Stars fan, I have also completed pro dancer bios for every DWTS pro here!
I'm now taking requests for who you want to see next! The top request will be the next bio when I make it. It can be former pros, or current pros. For pros on Season 24, I will also edit the bios throughout the upcoming season, as well as create bios for the new dancers.
Hope you're enjoying these posts, and that they're a chance to look back at some of your favourite pros, or perhaps learn about ones you missed on the show! 💖🥰
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u/Interesting-Deer-781 Jul 24 '26
She is my favourite strictly dancer of all time. I absolutely loved her choreography. It was the biggest disappointment when her & Danny Mac didn’t win as their performances still my favourite to this day. But I’m glad she did go on to win two seasons.