Oti Mabuse has said she thinks that new TV dating show Romeo & Duet will “somehow find its way”. The star, who has been in Cardiff this week on tour with her new dancing show, told WalesOnline that she is not upset about the criticism of her new ITV series. Read more about that here.
Viewers have been divided by Romeo & Duet since it first aired. The prime-time Saturday show sees contestants sing one song to entice a fellow singleton. Oti, who left Strictly Come Dancing earlier this year, said she “doesn’t expect everyone to love the show right off the bat".
During the show, the newly-formed couple will head off on a duet-date to learn a duet, before returning later in the show to perform that number in the ultimate romantic love battle; a singing competition against the other couples to be crowned the winners. The crowd’s chosen couple then get whisked off for another date to see if their love blossoms.
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Twitter users have described the show as "absolute nonsense" and one person even went to the extent of saying: "I had high hopes for this because I love Oti, but she really should’ve said no to this show."
Shaking off the Romeo & Duet criticism, Oti is currently in Cardiff until Saturday, April 30 with her show, I Am Here, which celebrates through dance the influences and inspirations that took Oti on a journey from growing up in South Africa to following her dream. The show will return to Wales later this summer when Oti performs at Swansea Arena on June 24.
The dancer and presenter made headlines earlier this year when it was confirmed that she was leaving BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, which she joined as a pro-dancer in 2015. Oti lifted the glitterball twice with her celebrity partners - firstly with Kelvin Fletcher and then again with Bill Bailey in 2021. She has since gone on the be a judge on rival series Dancing On Ice on ITV.
Oti announced her departure from Strictly in a heartfelt Instagram. She said it isn't 'easy' to say goodbye and explained it was a 'difficult' decision to leave. And she wrote: "I’m honestly so grateful to The BBC and will always remember that Strictly and BBC brought me to the UK - which I now call home and I have learnt and grown so much."
Oti, who was born in 1990 in Pretoria, South Africa, moved to Germany to pursue her love of dance and she got her first taste of TV talent shows on Let’s Dance, the German version of Strictly. The star, who is married to Romanian dancer Marius Lepure, began dancing in her home town but it was when she arrived in Germany that her passion for it soared. Interestingly, Oti's degree was in civil engineering.
Despite leaving Strictly, Oti told WalesOnline that she’d consider returning. She said: “Strictly has been everything to me and has given me this amazing platform that I have. No, I’m not done - it still has a place in my heart.” She added that she is close with fellow dancers and the production and will "always be a part" of the show.
What do you think of Romeo & Duet? Let us know in the comments
