Strictly’s Oti Mabuse talks humiliating wardrobe malfunction that exposed her live on air

Oti Mabuse, who is best known for winning multiple series of BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, has opened up about her most embarrassing TV moment that left her derriere exposed live on air.

Oti Mabuse in the BBC studio

Oti Mabuse has detailed her worst wardrobe malfunction (Image: BBC )

Strictly Come Dancing alumnus Oti Mabuse has opened up about a particularly humiliating on-air wardrobe malfunction that left her red-faced. The former BBC star, who is now a judge on ITV’s Dancing On Ice, talked about navigating the television world in a candid chat with Emily Atack as a part of Soap & Glory’s Soaking Up Life podcast.

Oti is a two-time Strictly champion, winning the show in 2019 with Kelvin Fletcher and in 2020 with Bill Bailey. She also came second with soap star Danny Mac in 2016.

The South African dancer was a professional on the BBC show between 2015 and 2021, before exiting the series to star as a judge on Dancing On Ice. She also appeared on Let’s Dance - the German equivalent of Strictly - between 2015 and 2016.

Oti got candid as podcast host Emily asked her about “dealt with the fame” after being on the “biggest show on television”. Sharing an insight into one of her most cringe-worthy moments, she said: “So, in Germany, I did a Samba and my dress ripped in half.

“And my bum was out!” she revealed. “Then I was that girl.” Emily cut in jokingly: “That happens to me in nightclubs.”


Oti Mabuse dancing with Danny Mac on Strictly

Oti Mabuse spoke about dancing with Danny Mac on Strictly (Image: BBC)

Oti started laughing, before continuing: “In the UK, the moment things really flipped for me was when I did my first dance with Danny Mac in my second year.

“Then it just felt like ‘Oh, I’m here’. However, Oti went on to reveal how fickle the public can be when your paired with a celebrity that has previous dance experience.

“What happens when you have someone who’s trained and can dance already is that it’s not always positive,” she admitted.


Oti Mabuse speaking to Emily Atack

Oti Mabuse spoke to Emily Atack on Soap & Glory’s Soaking Up Life podcast (Image: BOOTS/SOAP&GLORY)

“It’s positive the first three weeks, and then when the favourites start going out, then it becomes negative.”

She added that some viewers would say hurtful things to them both including: “You don’t deserve to be there, this is unfair, this is not what the show’s about.”

“So it started out great and then it went [down] and then it went up again,” she explained.

Oti went on to argue that she and Danny had trained “so hard” and shared her frustration that it didn’t appear that way to the audience.


“With Danny, we didn’t win, but I was like ‘Oh no, I have potential to win. Let me try and do it,’” she reflected.

As it turns out, Oti would go on to win the competition twice just a few years later, proving that she is one of the best pros out there.

In this episode, Oti and Emily talk all things textures with the Cloud of Dreams Whipped Night Cream (£9.99), Glow Your Mind Nourishing Cleansing Balm (£9.99) and the 'In The Glow How' 5% Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Tonic (£9.99). You can save up to 1/3 on selected Soap & Glory products on boots.com 

Watch the full episode of Soaking Up Life With… Oti Mabuse here.




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