Most people know Oti Mabuse from the Strictly Come Dancing dance floor, so her quieter life since 2022 catches many readers off guard. Her own account of the move to Berkshire, given to House Beautiful (UK interiors magazine), starts with her daughter, and this piece starts there too.
Born: 8 August 1990, Pretoria (Wikipedia (online encyclopedia)) · Strictly Come Dancing: 2015 to 2022 (Hitched (UK wedding and lifestyle news)) · Strictly wins: 2019 and 2020 · Moved to: Berkshire, spring 2025, per House Beautiful (UK interiors magazine) · Debut novel: Slow Burn, 11 September 2025 (i news (UK national newspaper))
Quick snapshot
- Born 8 August 1990 in Pretoria, South Africa, per Wikipedia (online encyclopedia)
- Professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing from 2015 to 2022, per Hitched (UK wedding and lifestyle news)
- Won the show in 2019 and 2020, per Hitched (UK wedding and lifestyle news)
- The daughter’s name, which the family has not made public (Irish News (PA wire copy))
- Gestational age at birth: outlets give 10 weeks and 28 weeks (Capital FM (UK radio and news))
- The husband’s surname spelling varies between Lepure and Iepure, per Capital FM (UK radio and news) (Irish News (PA wire copy))
- Family relocated from London to a village near Reading in spring 2025, per House Beautiful (UK interiors magazine) (Entertainment Daily (UK entertainment news))
- Debut novel Slow Burn published 11 September 2025, per i news (UK national newspaper) (Entertainment Daily (UK entertainment news))
- Returned to Strictly in autumn 2025 as a behind-the-scenes choreographer (Entertainment Daily (UK entertainment news))
- The next check is a primary record for the premature-birth figure, since Cosmopolitan UK (women’s lifestyle magazine) and Capital FM disagree
- Her next public step is the Strictly choreographer role already confirmed for 2025, per Entertainment Daily (UK entertainment news) (women’s lifestyle magazine)
Most of the core details rest on dated press coverage rather than primary records, so the table below is the quickest place to check them.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 August 1990, Pretoria, South Africa, per Wikipedia (online encyclopedia) |
| Strictly Come Dancing | Professional dancer, 2015 to 2022, per Hitched (UK wedding and lifestyle news) |
| Strictly wins | 2019 and 2020, per Hitched (UK wedding and lifestyle news) |
| Husband | Marius Lepure, married 2014, per Wikipedia (online encyclopedia) |
| Daughter | Born November 2023, announced 25 December 2023, per Irish News (PA wire copy) |
| Home | Village near Reading, Berkshire, from spring 2025, per House Beautiful (UK interiors magazine) |
| Latest book | Slow Burn, published 11 September 2025, per i news (UK national newspaper) |
| Sister | Motsi Mabuse, Strictly judge (Hello! (celebrity weekly)) |
Where does Oti Mabuse currently live?
Oti Mabuse lives in Berkshire, in a village near Reading. She moved there from London in spring 2025, about two months before her interview with House Beautiful (UK interiors magazine) was published on 6 May 2025.
The home is a detached 18th-century house, which she described as “out in the sticks” in coverage by Entertainment Daily (UK entertainment news).
Why did Oti Mabuse move out of London?
- Stated reason: “better schools, better environment, better hospitals,” per House Beautiful (UK interiors magazine)
- Timing: spring 2025, roughly two months before the interview ran, per House Beautiful (UK interiors magazine)
- Setting: a detached house near Reading, per Entertainment Daily (UK entertainment news)
Why this matters: the move answers the residence question with a family reason, and that reason is on the record in her own words.
Who is Oti Mabuse’s husband?
Oti Mabuse is married to Marius Lepure, a Romanian-German Latin and ballroom dancer, and the couple married in 2014, per Wikipedia (online encyclopedia). They met in Germany and won gold together at the German National Show Dance Championships, per i news (UK national newspaper).
The spelling is not settled. This article uses Lepure, while some coverage lists Iepure, so readers should check any official record before quoting the surname, per Capital FM (UK radio and news).
How old is Oti Mabuse’s daughter?
- Born: November 2023, per Irish News (PA wire copy)
- Name: not publicly disclosed, per Irish News (PA wire copy)
- Early weeks: reportedly born prematurely, with about six weeks in neonatal intensive care, per Cosmopolitan UK (women’s lifestyle magazine)
She was under two when Slow Burn came out in September 2025, so her age depends on the date a reader checks.
The premature-birth figures do not agree. Cosmopolitan UK (women’s lifestyle magazine) and Heart (UK radio brand) give 10 weeks, while Capital FM (UK radio and news) gives 28 weeks. Until a primary record settles it, a single number in print is ahead of the evidence.
The implication: the family details are the part of this story that changes most often in coverage, so the dates are safer to repeat than the gestational age.
Who is Oti Mabuse’s sister?
Motsi Mabuse is Oti’s older sister. She was born on 11 April 1981 in Mankwe, Bophuthatswana, South Africa, and married Evgenij Voznyuk in 2017, with a daughter born in 2018 (Wikipedia (online encyclopedia)).
Is Motsi Mabuse a judge on Strictly Come Dancing?
- Motsi is a judge on Strictly Come Dancing, per Hello! (celebrity weekly)
- Oti was a professional dancer on the show, not a judge, per Hitched (UK wedding and lifestyle news)
- The sources reviewed do not give a start year for Motsi’s judging role, so this article does not state one
Why this matters: the distinction is simple but easy to miss. One sister judges, and the other danced, so keeping the two roles apart avoids a wrong answer.
What is Oti Mabuse known for on Strictly?
Oti Mabuse was a professional dancer on BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing from 2015 to 2022, seven years in all, per Hitched (UK wedding and lifestyle news). She won the show in 2019 and 2020, with Kelvin Fletcher and Bill Bailey, and is the second professional to win twice, after Aliona Vilani, per Hitched (UK wedding and lifestyle news).
She left the show in February 2022, saying she was leaving to pursue other projects, per Capital FM (UK radio and news). She finished fourth on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2024, per Irish News (PA wire copy), and returned to Strictly in autumn 2025 as a behind-the-scenes choreographer rather than a dancer, per Entertainment Daily (UK entertainment news).
Her Strictly record is the most solid part of her public story, with dated wins and a documented exit reported by Hitched (UK wedding and lifestyle news). Changes since then are about work choices rather than standing on the show, so the dated record is the part to trust.
The trade-off: leaving in 2022 opened room for other work, and the dated sequence since then, from a 2024 reality series to a 2025 novel, shows what filled it.
Has Oti Mabuse written a book?
Yes. Her debut adult romance novel is Slow Burn, which Simon & Schuster published on 11 September 2025, per i news (UK national newspaper).
- Price at publication: £20, per i news (UK national newspaper)
- Setting: the Latin dance world, per i news (UK national newspaper)
- Lead character: Lira, a dancer in her 30s who gave up her professional dream to manage her family’s suburban dance studio, per i news (UK national newspaper)
The implication: the book is now the most concrete dated proof of her authorship, and its subject stays close to the dance world that made her name.
Key dates in order
Eleven dated milestones, one pattern: the big moves cluster after 2022, when she left Strictly, followed by a family move, a book and a new role within roughly three and a half years.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 8 August 1990 | Born in Pretoria, South Africa, per Wikipedia (online encyclopedia) |
| 2014 | Marries Marius Lepure, per Wikipedia (online encyclopedia) |
| 2015 | Joins Strictly Come Dancing as a professional, per Hitched (UK wedding and lifestyle news) |
| 2019 and 2020 | Wins Strictly Come Dancing in both years, per Hitched (UK wedding and lifestyle news) |
| February 2022 | Leaves Strictly to pursue other projects, per Capital FM (UK radio and news) |
| November 2023 | Daughter born, announced on 25 December 2023, per Irish News (PA wire copy) |
| 2024 | Finishes fourth on I’m a Celebrity, per Irish News (PA wire copy) |
| Spring 2025 | Family moves from London to Berkshire, per House Beautiful (UK interiors magazine) |
| 6 September 2025 | House Beautiful interview on the move is published, per House Beautiful (UK interiors magazine) |
| 11 September 2025 | Slow Burn is published by Simon & Schuster, per i news (UK national newspaper) |
| Autumn 2025 | Returns to Strictly as a behind-the-scenes choreographer, per Entertainment Daily (UK entertainment news) |
The pattern: family and career milestones now land close together, and the Strictly return arrived after the move was already in print.
Confirmed facts and open questions
Confirmed facts
- Born 8 August 1990 in Pretoria, per Wikipedia (online encyclopedia)
- Studied civil engineering at university in South Africa before dancing professionally, per House Beautiful (UK interiors magazine)
- Strictly professional from 2015 to 2022, with wins in 2019 and 2020, per Hitched (UK wedding and lifestyle news)
- Moved from London to Berkshire in spring 2025, per House Beautiful (UK interiors magazine)
- Debut novel Slow Burn published 11 September 2025, per i news (UK national newspaper)
What’s unclear
- The daughter’s name, which has not been made public, per Irish News (PA wire copy)
- Gestational age at birth, given as 10 weeks by some outlets and 28 weeks by others, per Capital FM (UK radio and news)
- Husband’s surname spelling, Lepure or Iepure, per Capital FM (UK radio and news)
- Strictly partner pairings beyond the ones cited in coverage, which are not itemised in the sources reviewed, per Capital FM (UK radio and news)
- A second pregnancy, reported in one outlet’s feature and not independently confirmed, per Yahoo Style (House Beautiful)
- The start year of Motsi Mabuse’s judging role, which none of the sources reviewed gives
The implication: the record is solid on career and relocation, and thin on the family details that readers ask about most.
In Mabuse’s own words
“We did it for our daughter – better schools, better environment, better hospitals.”
Oti Mabuse, in House Beautiful (UK interiors magazine)
“She’s the reason I do everything. I want to be a good role model.”
Oti Mabuse, speaking to The Mirror, as reported by Irish News (PA wire copy)
On her novel, Mabuse told i news (UK national newspaper) that Lira and Gabriel are emotional and intense throughout, because the book is a fiction and a fantasy.
Her public story now turns on family decisions and her own writing, not on the show that made her name. The dated record is firm, while the daughter’s name and the premature-birth figure remain open. For anyone repeating these details, the choice is clear: publish the sourced dates, or hold the birth figure until a primary record confirms it.
Related reading: Pixie Geldof age, husband, children and career
inews.co.uk, entertainmentdaily.com, independent.co.uk, telegraph.co.uk, hellomagazine.com
Frequently asked questions
How old is Oti Mabuse?
Her birth date is 8 August 1990, according to Wikipedia (online encyclopedia), so she turned 35 in August 2025. Heart (UK radio brand) reported her 34th birthday in 2024.
When did Oti Mabuse leave Strictly Come Dancing?
She left in February 2022, after announcing she was leaving to pursue other projects, per Capital FM (UK radio and news).
How many years was Oti Mabuse on Strictly Come Dancing?
Seven, from 2015 to 2022, per Hitched (UK wedding and lifestyle news).
Did Oti Mabuse win Strictly Come Dancing?
Yes, in 2019 and 2020, per Hitched (UK wedding and lifestyle news).
Is Oti Mabuse South African?
She was born in Pretoria, South Africa, and, according to Wikipedia (online encyclopedia), retains South African citizenship. The same source reports that she became a British citizen in 2025.
Henry William Bennett Murray is a staff writer for CivicInsight.uk, covering UK public affairs, policy and civic life. He works under Editor-in-Chief Rebecca Langford, following the newsroom standards for sourcing, verification and fact-checking set out in our editorial policies.