Oti Mabuse is a fan favourite professional on Strictly Come Dancing, having lifted the Glitterball last year with celeb partner Bill Bailey.
Tonight (December 21), John Torode and Gregg Wallace present the first of two festive specials in which previous contestants are invited back to the MasterChef kitchen.
Oti will put her cooking skills to the test against reality star Joey Essex, former footballer Neil Ruddock, comedian Judi Love and actress Su Pollard.
READ MORE: Strictly Come Dancing star Gorka Marquez rushed to hospital days before Christmas
They will be tasked with creating a dish using ingredients found in an advent calendar and then cook something they would like to eat over the festive period.
John and Gregg’s favourite will not only win the title of Christmas champion – but they will also take home the all-new Golden Whisk trophy.
Ugo and Oti failed to impress the judges and the voting public on Strictly this year but she has exciting plans for the New Year
(Image: PA)
Oti’s time on this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing was cut short, as her and celeb partner rugby player Ugo Monye were eliminated from the competition after week five when they failed to win over the voting public or the judging panel.
Now that Strictly is over, it is rumoured that Oti has signed up to be a judge on ITV talent show Dancing On Ice .
The Mirror reports that she will sit on the judging panel of the skating show when it returns next month, replacing John Barrowman.
She will sit alongside skating legends Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, as well as Diversity dancer Ashley Banjo, ahead of the brand new series – which will see Love Island’s Liberty Poole and Strictly bad boy Brendan Cole take to the ice.
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A source told The Sun on Sunday: “Signing up Oti is a brilliant coup for ITV bosses. They’re really excited about her joining the show.
“She has excellent dance experience and technical knowledge, an infectious on-screen energy and has a massive fan base from her time on Strictly, which helps draw viewers. It’s also a great move for Oti’s career and the obvious next step for her.”
One man who will certainly be proud of her success is her husband Marius Lepure, who is rarely seen in the spotlight.
The pair were introduced by Oti’s sister and fellow Strictly star Motsi – who suggested a few men who Oti could partner with when she turned professional and moved to Germany from South Africa.
Romanian dancer Marius, 38, was the first and last to take to the floor with Oti, who knew straight away he was “the one”.
They finished second together at the World Latin Championships, and the pair married in 2014.
Marius takes no chances with Oti – even going so far as to “threaten” male celebrity partners to ward her off.
Speaking on Loose Women back in 2019, she said: “He’s a real macho man… he’s always like, ‘Don’t touch my wife unless you have to. Unless you really have to, don’t do it.”
Oti admitted she found her husband’s attitude “sexy”, adding: “He’ll give them that firm handshake and I’m like, ‘I see what you’re doing!'”
Did you watch the Celebrity Masterchef Christmas Cook-Off? Let us know what you thought of tonight’s episode in the comments.
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