Oti Mabuse has announced she is expecting her second child, saying her “heart and home is about to get a lot fuller.”
Pregnancy Announcement
The former Strictly Come Dancing star, 35, has been married to Romanian dancer Marius Iepure since 2014, and they welcomed a daughter in 2023. Sharing the news on Instagram, she wrote: “Plot twist… We thought we had our hands full already, but life had even bigger plans. Baby No. 2 is joining the dance party, and our hearts (and house) are about to get a whole lot fuller. #babynumber2.”
The post included a series of photos showing the couple and their daughter cradling Mabuse’s growing bump. One snap also showed Iepure blowing out his stomach and holding an ultrasound photo while Mabuse cradled his belly.
Messages of Support
The couple received messages of support from family and friends. Mabuse’s sister Motsi wrote: “We love you. Congratulations. The bigger the better.” Former Strictly professional Gorka Marquez commented: “Amazing news guys,” while fellow former star Karen Hauer said: “Congratulations guys.” Ex-Strictly contestant Vick Hope added: “Ahhhhhhhhh amazing news!!!! Lots and lots of love to you all.”
Career Highlights
Mabuse appeared on Strictly from 2015 until 2021, winning the series in 2019 and 2020 with Kelvin Fletcher and then Bill Bailey. She went on to become a judge on The Masked Dancer UK and Dancing On Ice, and competed on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2024.
Previous Pregnancy Challenges
After giving birth in 2023, Mabuse later revealed she had suffered from sepsis and her daughter was born “very” premature. The couple waited nine weeks to announce the arrival of their first-born, and they have never shared her name publicly. Mabuse previously told the Parenting Hell podcast: “When she was born, she couldn’t breathe on her own. I don’t know the process. I don’t know what to expect. I don’t know the steps of how things are going to turn out.” Her daughter spent a week in an incubator and afterwards still needed to use a breathing and feeding tube. The infant spent a total of six weeks in hospital, with Mabuse praising medical staff. She said the experience of her daughter “coming on to this Earth was a very, very joyful one,” but also labelled it “traumatic.”
