Oti Mabuse has joked the reason she is taking part on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! is to catch up on sleep after welcoming her first baby.
The former Strictly Come Dancing star, 34, spoke about how she has snapped up the opportunity to lean into her 'adventurous' side after becoming a first time mum.
Oti gave birth to her first child, a daughter, on Christmas Day last year, with her husband and fellow pro dancer Marius Lepure.
Her daughter, whose name is not known, spent six weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) after being born ten weeks early and weighing less than 3 lbs.
Revealing how it now feels like the right time, she said: 'I have been a fan of I'm A Celebrity for so long.
'Outside of Strictly and Dancing on Ice, it's the show I watch religiously, and I can remember last year thinking: 'Ok, this feels right. I am definitely up for it now, I am up for the challenge''
'Now I have had my baby daughter, I want to get back to the adventurous and fun Oti. I feel ready for a change and doing something completely different. I will have no make-up, concealer, lashes – it's going to be nice to be laid back.'
She insisted the long hours sitting around the campfire won't be an issue as it will be a chance to catch up on much needed sleep. 'As a new mum, I am going to use it to my advantage,' Oti stresses. 'I am going to catch up on a whole year's sleep!
Oti Mabuse has joked the reason she is taking part on I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! is to catch up on sleep after welcoming her first baby
The former Strictly Come Dancing star, 34, spoke about how she has snapped up the opportunity to lean into her 'adventurous' side after becoming a first time mum
'Of course not seeing my daughter is going to be hard. She is going to be one of my biggest motivators. My husband is really excited I am doing the programme. He loves the show too!'
Just before heading to Australia for her jungle stint, Oti admitted becoming a mother has changed her 'in the best way possible'.
She said a year of motherhood has made her 'more aware, more resilient, more sensitive' and 'added a level of maturity'.
She said: 'Motherhood really is non-stop and it's a journey. It's about finding out a lot about yourself and a lot about the baby, your husband, your marriage.'
Speaking about her premature birth, she said: 'I was still working, I was told everything was great, the baby is great. She had turned upside down. Her head was in the right place…'
Although their daughter was born 'really tiny' – Oti said she felt reassured everything would be fine, despite being diagnosed with sepsis herself.
The baby was taken immediately for tests and placed in an incubator and Oti and her husband weren't able to hold her for a week.
Despite being unprepared, she says: 'I actually really enjoyed giving birth. We were singing musical tunes. I was singing through the pain, singing all the tunes that I love.' Although 'you're in too much pain' to dance, she added.
She said a year of motherhood has made her 'more aware, more resilient, more sensitive' and 'added a level of maturity'
Although their daughter was born 'really tiny' – Oti said she felt reassured everything would be fine, despite being diagnosed with sepsis herself'
While on the show, Oti predicts coming face-to-face with a snake will be her toughest challenge.
She admitted: 'In my head I am a superhero but snakes are not my thing. I am petrified of them and they are my biggest fear.'
Despite cooking for her daughter at home, Oti says she doesn't regard herself as a chef and will be far happier chopping up an octopus' tentacle than trying to put together a delicious meal.
She said: 'I am a terrible cook. But I am very helpful and I can cut up an octopus' tentacle if I need to.
Yet whilst culinary skills are not her forte, she promises to entertain her fellow celebrities by teaching them a few ballroom moves.
'I'd like to think I will be a comfort mum in camp. I can listen to stories, motivate and hopefully entertain everyone with a bit of dancing.
'I hope to teach everyone a few moves. We will create our own talent show in the jungle!' One of the things she is most looking forward to is creating some 'money can't buy' friendships with people she wouldn't normally meet.
Oti is currently a judge on ITV skating show Dancing On Ice
The professional dancer appeared on Strictly for seven years - and won twice
And as a former Strictly Come Dancing winner, she also vows to be competitive when it comes to the Bushtucker Trials.
She explains: 'This is one of the shows where it is really nice to be determined, ambitious and competitive when it comes to doing a challenge. It will be about getting the stars.'
Keen for viewers to see her away from the glamorous showbiz world, Oti predicts her fellow Dancing on Ice judges will be surprised to see her pop up on the programme but thinks some of herold colleagues on Strictly might be secretly pleased she is having to face up to her big fears.
'They will laugh 100 percent,' she admits. 'Some of them might be quite happy. They will get some payback! But I think everyone on Dancing on Ice will be genuinely surprised.
'It's going to be nice for everyone to see me away from the talent world and this is definitely going to be far harder than judging on TV. When you judge, you watch a lovely show, have a Sunday roast and then go home. This will be 100 times harder than that and I definitely think I will cry too in the camp.
'I do cry on Dancing on Ice. I think we will see a bucket load of tears from me.'
Given she has triumphed in the Strictly ballroom, how would it feel to be crowned Queen of the Jungle? 'Wow I haven't thought that far,' she replies. 'It would be amazing but it is not the reason I am going in. I am looking forward to all the new challenges.'
