Oti Mabuse defiantly defends leaving one-year-old daughter for I’m A Celebrity stint

I’m A Celebrity star Oti Mabuse has defended her decision to leave her one-year-old daughter while taking part in the ITV show.

The Dancing On Ice judge, who used to be a pro dancer on Strictly, has been announced as one of the 10 celebs joining camp this year. While she admitted it was hard to leave her child back at home in the UK, Oti has defended her decisions to sign up.

Oti Mabuse on I'm A Celebrity
Oti has signed up for I’m A Celebrity 2024 (Credit: ITV)

Oti Mabuse on her decision to participate for I’m A Celebrity

While speaking to the Mirror in Australia, Oti stated that she has “always wanted to be a part of the show in some capacity”. She insisted that 2024 is the “only year for me to do it,” expressing that she’ll “probably never do it again”.

“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,” Oti explained.

“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.”

Oti Mabuse on the red carpet
Oti reveals why it is important for her to take part in the jungle (Credit: Splashnews.com)

Oti Mabuse daughter

While discussing her daughter and leaving her at home for the show, Oti claimed that she “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,” she explained.

Oti believes it’s “nice for her to see that mum is fully committed and loves her so much,” adding that it’s good for her daughter to see her mum doing “what she wants to do”.

She insisted that “mum has goals as well”.