Since Darcey Bussell announced her decision to step down as a judge from Strictly Come Dancing, there has been a lot of speculation surrounding her replacement. With everyone from Anton du Beke to Karen Hardy in the running, another popular contender has been pro dancer Oti Mabuse. Following her success as a dance captain on The Greatest Dancer, many fans feel Oti would be perfect for the role. And on Wednesday, the 29-year-old finally revealed whether or not she would be stepping up to the role during an appearance on Zoe Ball's BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show. When asked by Zoe – who also presents It Takes Two – she explained that the audience were not ready to let her go as a dancer yet. "I love being part of rehearsals and a group and I would miss it and that part of it so I will be dancing," she said.
Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse isn't ready to stop dancing just yet
MORE: Strictly's Anton du Beke makes surprising revelation about Darcey Bussell's exit
Oti was appearing on the radio show alongside Giovanni Pernice and Dianne Buswell as they promoted the upcoming Strictly Pro tour. The tour will also include Pasha Kovalev, who will be dancing with the pros for once last time. Zoe expressed her surprise at Pasha's decision to leave at the beginning of the year, but said that she hoped that he would come and visit her on It Takes Two. Dianne added: "It is a nice group of people we will definitely miss Pasha as he is a big part of the show but he will be dancing with us one last time on the tour." Both Giovanni and Dianne are now dating their celebrity dance partners – Ashley Roberts and Joe Sugg – and Dianne confirmed that Joe would be coming along to support them during the show. She said: "Joe is doing very well, he is missing dancing a lot. He can come and watch from the audience."
Who will be replacing Darcey Bussell?
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The replacement for Darcey on the judge's panel is likely to be announced in the next few months. Anton du Beke revealed over the weekend that he was surprised that she was leaving as nobody knew about it beforehand. Talking to Graham Norton on his Radio 2 show on Saturday morning, Anton admitted that the news had come out of the blue. When asked if he knew, he said: "No, not at all. I didn't know that Pasha was going to leave, that was a bold out the blue as well. He never mentioned anything last year. Apparently, he never mentioned anything to Ashley [Roberts], his partner, either. And Darcey, exactly the same. Absolutely out of the blue."
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