Dancing On Ice's Oti Mabuse addresses 'huge lesson from failures' after ITV show is axed

Dancing on Ice judge Oti Mabuse has reflected upon her ups and downs while working in TV, explaining she has learnt more from the failures in her life

Oti Mabuse has opened up about the "huge lesson" she learned following ITV's decision to cancel her Saturday morning show. The pro dancer recalled her brief stint as a presenter on the network, with Laura Whitmore leading the Sunday show, both of which fell victim to an ITV schedule overhaul last year.

Oti, the South African sensation, reflected on the chop, sharing she values the wisdom gained from failures more than successes. Despite experiencing lows, Oti, aged 34, has tasted plenty of victory too.

Since leaving South Africa in 2015, Oti conquered Germany's 'Let's Dance' before dazzling UK audiences as a professional on Strictly Come Dancing's thirteenth season. She made waves by claiming consecutive triumphs with Kelvin Fletcher and Bill Bailey.

After departing Strictly in 2021—where her sister Motsi sat on the judging panel—Oti continued carving out her TV career by joining the panel of 'Dancing on Ice' in 2022 alongside Diversity's Ashley Banjo and skating royalty Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean.

In an interview with The Times, Oti emphasised the importance of learning from life's setbacks: "But the biggest lessons you get are from the failures. The most successful people are the ones who have failed over and over and over again and not given up.", reports the Express.

Reflecting on her deeply committed work ethic, Oti Mabuse revealed, "I went to my first concert at the age of 31 and that was me seeing Elton John. I was always in the studio, always being a good girl. I never lived a life. I'd never taken a moment to stop and travel, go on holiday, do what I wanted to do."

She discussed the profound lessons from her career shifts: "So I needed to do that. Even getting a new show [an ITV weekend breakfast show in 2023] and then having my show cancelled, those were huge lessons for me."

Returning to Dancing on Ice shortly after her stint in the Australian jungle where she placed fourth in the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! final, Oti also addressed her decision to take time away from her baby daughter and husband Marius Iepure to take on the competition.

She shared: "I've always wanted to be a part of the show in some capacity, and I felt like right now, this year is the only year for me to do it, because I'll probably never do it again."

Emphasising the singularity of the opportunity, she added, "I'll never get another opportunity to do it again. I'd love to grow my family. I'd like to do other things. And so this was the year for me to do it, and it just felt right."

Considering her future, Oti confessed, "I would love to grow my family so let's see what happens. But in terms of being away from family, I probably won't be able to do that much longer."

Speaking about the brief separation, she says: "My daughter won't remember it. It's just a couple of days. She's with a lot of family, and she's with my husband who is amazing, and she's in more than capable hands."