Oti Mabuse's return to Strictly Come Dancing delighted fans on Friday night, as she arrived back on her old stomping ground with an important part to play.
Oti was a much loved member of the Strictly family for many years and, after many fans argued she should have won alongside Danny Mac in 2016, Oti finally landed a win in the BBC ballroom in 2019, when she triumphed alongside reserve contestant Kelvin Fletcher. In a first for the show, Oti then won again just a year later, when she and comedian Bill Bailey topped the public vote in the final.
After a much more short-lived stint on Strictly in 2021, with her going out early alongside rugby star Ugo Monye, Oti made the surprising switch to ITV at the start of this year to become a judge on Dancing on Ice. And, then midway through the latest series of the skating show, Oti confirmed she was walking away from Strictly after seven years, going on to land her own ITV series, Romeo and Duet, as well as being on the panel for another season of The Masked Dancer.
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However, last month, there was another twist in the tale, when it was confirmed that Oti would be returning to Strictly, not as a pro dancer, but as a choreographer for the Musicals themed live quarter final, which took place on Friday, r ather than Saturday, as the BBC moved the show for the World Cup.
Oti had a big hand in bringing together the incredible theatrical medley which opened Friday's live broadcast, with segments dedicated to hit musicals like Grease, Six, Rent and Kinky Boots. Strictly hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman appeared on set after the music came to an end and, after Tess thanked the professional dancers, Claudia had a word about Oti, saying: "And thank you to our fantastic choreographers, Nikki Trow and Oti Mabuse," as the camera let cut to a beaming Oti in the studio audience.
And, like the lady herself, viewers at home were delighted at her being back on Strictly. As soon as they saw her, one tweeted: "So good to see Oti in the audience tonight, not to mention choreographing that opening routine," with a second writing: "QUEEN OTI HAS RETURNED!"
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