Oti Mabuse announces dream ITV career move after Dancing On Ice is axed

Oti Mabuse has hinted at her aspirations to secure a regular spot on another ITV show. This comes after reality contest, Dancing On Ice, on which the former Strictly Come Dancing star was a judge, was dropped by the network.

During her stint on Strictly, Oti, 34, clinched victory twice - first with soap actor Kelvin Fletcher in 2019 and then with comedian Bill Bailey in 2020. She left the show after partnering with rugby player Ugo Monye in 2021, before moving to ITV to serve as a judge on Dancing On Ice in 2022.

However, last month saw the end of the long-standing ice skating competition after a slump in viewing figures, ending its intermittent 19-year run. Further disappointment followed for Oti when her other ITV project, The Masked Dancer, where she sat on the judging panel, was cancelled in 2024 after just two seasons.

 

Despite these setbacks, the star has suggested she is eyeing a new role on the network - as a regular panellist on the popular lunchtime talk show Loose Women. The current affairs discussion show boasts a panel that includes Denise Welch, Coleen Nolan and Nadia Sawalha.

Oti made her debut as a guest panellist on the daytime programme earlier this month, and viewers may see her more frequently on the show. In an interview with the Express, she expressed her desire to return to the show, reports the Mirror.

The dancer shared her delight with the magazine: "That was amazing, it was really fun. I have to give it up to Ruth, Jayne and Denise because they were so lovely and we had so much fun, and they made me feel so welcome and at ease.

I was obviously nervous, but it was nice to be padded around by people who know what they're doing."

Oti further confessed she found appearing as a panellist on the series less daunting compared to when she’s a guest.

She detailed: "I was less nervous as a panellist than I am as a guest because as a guest there's specific things that you have to say. Whereas a panellist, they just let you talk, and you discuss things and it's like sitting with your friends and having a coffee and just chatting away."

 

Fans were moved as Oti candidly discussed challenging subjects on the show, including her brother’s suicide, her decision to leave Strictly, and insecurities about her body image. She disclosed: "I think being on Loose [Women], which is what is so amazing about it, is that everybody's got their independent life experiences.

"And I shared mine and I'm very open about it and I think since th jungle that has helped me to just be me and not be afraid of just being honest and being genuine and being authentic. Those things did happen and I don't shy away from it.

"They don't make me less than a person, if anything, I think I'm at a point in my life right now where I can address them and I know how to articulate and be sensitive because other people are going through the same thing, but it's also to raise awareness."

After 17 seasons, ITV has announced that Dancing On Ice is set to hang up its skates. The popular show, which first aired back in 2006, had already undergone a hiatus from 2015 before gliding back onto screens in 2018.

An ITV spokesperson released a statement saying: "Following another successful series earlier this year, Dancing On Ice will be rested in 2026 with no current plans for another series."

The spokesperson expressed gratitude to all involved in the making of the show, adding: "We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the cast and crew who have worked on the show since 2006, and over the previous 17 series, for all of their hard work both on and off the ice."

Loose Women is on ITV1 weekdays at 12.30pm and on ITVX