From the moment we saw her shimmying her way to stardom on Strictly Come Dancing, Oti Mabuse has always been a perfect ten in our eyes. However, the dancer and TV presenter - who has just announced she’s expecting her first baby with husband Marius Lepure - says it took her years to learn to truly love and appreciate herself.
“I recently found old videos of myself [in my 20s] on Instagram, and I remember beating myself up,” the 33-year-old star tells GH. “I remember being like, ‘I'm overweight. I'm big and I need to get smaller.” Now though, I see I had a six pack. I had these long legs, my boobs were perky. I’m like, “What?! I can't believe when I was that age I was giving myself such a hard time.”
Now older and wiser, Oti says that this kind of self-awareness has opened up a far healthier inner dialogue. “It helps with how I feel about myself today because it makes me think, ‘You know what, I love what I look like.’ I only speak positively to myself, because beating yourself up is not cool. If I could give my younger self any beauty advice, I would say, ‘You are stunning, you are sexy, you are on fire! Embrace the way you look and live in the moment.’”
Oti, who has spoken about how her shape “completely changed” since leaving Strictly in 2021, has now become a leading light in the body positivity movement. “I’m so passionate about body positivity, because the older you get - and for me, this is a recent phenomenon - the more you realise that things change and move. And that could easily lead you to not love yourself,” she says. “But as long as you're healthy and you feel good in your own body, it’s all okay. As women, we need to remind ourselves that.”
It’s a philosophy Oti embraces for herself. “I always want to accept myself, however I am,” she tells us. “I recently fell off my training [because of morning sickness, GH later discovers], I was like ‘ugh it’s exhausting’, but now I feel strong again. I’m back to working on being healthy and having stamina.” As she put it to her Instagram followers: “I am creating a human being and whatever my body needs I should listen to it.”
It’s a busy time all round for Oti. As well as hosting her ITV breakfast show, where she revealed her pregnancy live on air, the star has become the new face and body of Sanex. “I use their Moisturising Shower Gel every day, and it makes me feel so good,” she says. “My skin feels moisturised when I come out of the shower and the smoothness lasts for hours. I’m addicted to that feeling of soft skin. I love going about my day and feeling my skin is happy and healthy.”
Oti’s healthy skin regime is another part of her evolution into a sensible grown-up. “When I was in my 20s, I didn't have a skin regime,” she admits. “I would sleep with my makeup, and go out wearing it the next day. Then in my 30s I looked in the mirror and was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I need to care for my skin.’ It was tired and very dry.”
Today, she’s religious about double cleansing and following a daily skincare regime. “It's not to try to be younger, it's to feel good,” she says. “I’ve learned that when I feel good, then I look good too.”
Inside Oti’s beauty bag
Avon Hydramatic Matte Lipstick
“These lipsticks are amazing. They've got a bit of hydration in the middle, and the colours really work when your skin is a darker tone. They do incredible dark orange and pinks, and they've got a brown shade that looks like my lip tone If I'm going for the nude look.”
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation in shade 15.5
“I’ve got all the Charlotte Tilbury stuff. I use the foundation, the contour, the eyeliner, the mascara. I love it all.”
Huda Beauty Matte Obsessions Warm Eyeshadow Palette
“I like tonal eye colours. Huda’s are really good because they suit my skin colour, and are natural and neutral. I don’t like putting glitter on my eyes. The makeup I wore on Strictly Come Dancing was amazing, but it wouldn't be the look I would personally wear.”
Dr Barbara Sturm Darker Skin Tones Hyaluronic Acid Serum
“I have the whole line and I love it so much. I have the cleansers, the serum, the face cream and they just make my skin feel really, really good.”
Sofn' Free Oil Moisturiser with Kerative, £6.25
“I've got South African curls so I use this product, and also SheaMoisture Strengthen & Restore Leave-In Conditioner. My natural hair is a lot of work, so I love using protective hairstyles like wigs, extensions and braids, and doing them in as many fun ways as possible.”
Absolute Collagen
“I take these collagen supplements, and also multivitamins, zinc, magnesium. I’m trying to cut down on fizzy soda so I’m drinking dissolvable vitamin C tablets instead. I’ve got to think of the future. I want to look sexy in my 40s.”
Absolute Collagen Marine Liquid Collagen Supplement, Original Lemon Flavour
Oti is the ambassador for Sanex Expert Skin Health shower gels and the Sanex Skin Stories campaign to make bodycare a priority.
