Strictly Come Dancing has some pretty big shoes to fill next year after Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced they are stepping down from their presenting duties.
Lots of names have so far been thrown around to take over the coveted presenting role, including Fleur East, Rylan, Zoe Ball and former pro Oti Mabuse. But Oti's sister Motsi, who is currently a judge, revealed she doesn't want her sister taking over the role.
"Shall I be honest? I wouldn't let her do it, because I want to protect her from that, because I know what type of show it is," she said sharing her reasons on Loose Women today, October 28.
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"I know what type of pressure it is, I know who's shoes she's stepping into, I feel as an older sister, I wouldn't want to do that to my sister.
"I want her to be in a safe space, where she can develop, where she has time to grow, where there is a future, I don't want everything on her back, and then the next day, it's going down because your sister is in.
Related: Who will replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman as the new hosts of Strictly Come Dancing?
"I don't want this for her. She's gone on her way. I would love her to do it, I would love this for her, but at the same time I wouldn't want what comes with it for her.
"So as the older sister and the one that chooses safety, more than adventure..."
Oti joined Strictly as a professional dancer in 2015, winning the show twice with comedian Bill Bailey and Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher. She left after seven years, and became a judge on Dancing On Ice and has since gone on to present a number of shows.
Oti herself recently reacted to the shock news that Tess and Claudia were departing as a pair after over 20 years.
"I think as someone who loves the show and has been a part of it, Claudia and Tess have been the queens – two women side by side, just really defending each other and protecting each other," she said.
She added why she loved working alongside them, saying: "They care, when they know you, they check on you, 'How's your child? How's your husband? How's your family?' and this feels like an end of an era for me."
"They are my Saturday night, they are the mums that take care of us, they lead the show so impeccably well, and I think it's a shame. It came out of nowhere."
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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Catherine is an Evening News Editor at Digital Spy, and was the site's News Editor between 2018 and 2024. Prior to that, she worked at OK! Online, and has interviewed a slew of celebrities across her career in entertainment news, including Tom Hanks, Cheryl and Noel Fielding. Catherine also has specialist knowledge in all things drag, interviewing a huge portion of RuPaul’s Drag Race stars, and getting her own drag makeover for Channel 4's show Drag SOS. LinkedIn
