Strictly Come Dancing judge Motsi Mabuse has said that she is "sad" to not see her sister, professional dancer Oti, return to the BBC One dancing show. Motsi, 41, who joined the show in 2019, will return to the panel for the 2022 series. Read here to find out which celebrities will be taking part in this year's series.
Oti, who currently features on ITV's The Masked Dancer, announced her decision to leave Strictly in February. She had been dancing on the show for seven years and following her departure, has been working on various ITV projects. Recently, she hosted dating show Romeo & Duet, which has since been axed by the broadcaster.
Whilst Oti chose to leave the series, Motsi has shared that she will be staying on Strictly for "as long as they want [her]". You can get more TV news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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Speaking to Prima Magazine, she said: “I’ll be sad not to see her on Strictly this year. I’ll always worry about my sister, but I have to respect her decision and let her go. She’s proven that she can more than protect herself and push herself to new heights."
Motsi continued: "Meanwhile, I’ll continue to fly the Mabuse flag on Strictly for as long as they want me."
The new series of Strictly Come Dancing will begin airing later this month and will see Motsi and fellow judges Craig Revel Horwood, Anton Du-Beke and Shirley Ballas return to the panel. Following the launch show, this series' celebrities will then get time to rehearse a dance routine with their new partners. The first live show of the series will be on Saturday, September 24 on BBC One, the series will then continue weekly as normal through to Saturday, December 17 with the live final. Strictly will return to Blackpool's Tower Ballroom on Saturday, November 19.
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