strictly oti mabuse competition motsi

Strictly star Oti Mabuse up against sister Motsi Mabuse - details

The siblings are going head-to-head at the NTAs in February

US Managing Editor
October 17, 2019

Strictly Come Dancing's sisters Motsi and Oti Mabuse have proved their popularity so much so that they are about to go up against each other for the title of Best TV Judge at the National Television Awards in 2020. While Motsi is shortlisted for best judge on Strictly, Oti – who is a pro in the BBC One dance show – has been shortlisted for her role on The Greatest Dancer, which debuted in January this year. Other stars going up against Motsi and Oti are Bruno Tonioli and Shirley Ballas, as well as X Factor judge Simon Cowell, All Together Now's Geri Horner and The Great British Bake Off's Paul Hollywood.

New Strictly judge Motsi Mabuse is up for Best TV Judge at the NTAs

Motsi has been a popular addition to Strictly and while some fans were worried about how she would fill long-running judge Darcey Bussell's shoes, they had nothing to worry about. The mother-of-one has brought a new lease of energy to the show, and has been commuting from her home in Germany every weekend, where she resides with her husband and young daughter.

Oti Mabuse is up against her sister in the Best TV Judge category for her role on The Greatest Dancer

Before the new series of Strictly started, Motsi reassured fans that she wouldn't be judging her sister any differently from the rest of the dancers. It also isn't the first time that she has been on the judging panel while Oti has been competing, as the pro dancer previously appeared on the German version of Strictly, Let's Dance, where Motsi has worked as a judge for many years. Motsi also opened up about her attitude to judging her younger sister during an interview on Lorraine shortly after Strictly started. "I am going to judge her like any other dancer. Oti has done so well and I am so proud of her, and me being extra hard or me giving her extra points really would be disrespectful to what she's achieved. And I wouldn’t want to do that. This show isn't about me and Oti, it's about everyone," she said.

MORE: Strictly's Saffron Barker gives update on injury

Oti is partnered with Kelvin Fletcher on Strictly and the pair are one of the favourites to win the competition, having managed to wow the judges each week with the former Emmerdale star's incredible dance skills. Most recently the pair danced a sizzling Rumba to Bill Withers Ain't No Sunshine, which received a standing ovation from the crowd. Kelvin and Oti scored nine points from each judge for their performance, and Motsi made her first reference to being Oti's sister, but jokingly telling Kelvin: "That's my sister, stop it!" Shirley Ballas, meanwhile, was left barely unable to speak, telling Kelvin she's never seen a male celebrity perform a Rumba quite like he did, especially for week three. 

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