Dancing on Ice star Oti Mabuse has spoken out for the first time about receiving abuse on social media.
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The dancer opened up about how she deals with online criticism, saying it has taken her "years" to realise that the opinions of a small minority on social media doesn't reflect the view of "everyone else".
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"I’ve faced some backlash while performing on [Strictly]," she said in the Radio Times.
"I’ve never really spoken about it because I’ve tried for so long to think about it this way: I work on a show that ten million people love; if ten or 100 people aren’t nice to me, that is not representative of everyone else’s view."
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She continued: "It’s taken years for me to get that into my head. To get tweeted or receive a message in my inbox being racially abusive, or fat-shaming me, is horrible. But it’s written by a person who can’t even face themselves in the mirror.
© Photo: RexOti spoke out about abuse on social media
"The hard stuff that I’ve been through, with the racism and discrimination, is proof that people still have a lot to learn. The more hate I receive, the more of a reason it is to carry on doing my job. I have to show young girls that anything is possible."
Over the last year, Oti's calendar has been jam-packed. Not only has she appeared as a judge on The Greatest Dancer, The Masked Singer and now Dancing on Ice, but she has also been busy launching her own podcast and stage show, leading to speculation about whether she will be returning as a professional dancer to Strictly.
© Photo: BBCOti said she doesn't know if she'll be returning to Strictly
When asked by Phillip Schofield to confirm if she would be returning to the show while appearing on This Morning earlier this month, she said: "I don't know yet. There will be an announcement made officially by Strictly, but not just about me, by the way, because it seems like that. It's about all the pros and there is a process and a protocol to follow."
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