Strictly Come Dancing legend Oti Mabuse has revealed she is hoping to return to ITV's Loose Women after making her debut on the current affairs show earlier this month.
Oti Mabuse, the 34-year-old professional dancer who gained fame in the UK when she joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2015, has hinted at a potential new role on ITV.
After reality show, Dancing On Ice was cancelled by the network, Oti is now eyeing a regular spot on the popular lunchtime talk show, Loose Women.
During her stint on Strictly, Oti clinched two victories - 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 as a judge on Dancing On Ice in 2022.
However, ITV decided to pull the plug on the long-standing ice skating competition last month due to dwindling viewing figures, ending its 19-year run. Adding to Oti's misfortune, her other ITV programme, The Masked Dancer, where she served as a judge, was also cancelled in 2024 after just two seasons.
Despite these setbacks, Oti seems optimistic about her future on ITV. She recently made her debut as a guest panellist on Loose Women and has expressed her desire to return to the show more regularly.
In an interview with the Express, she shared her dream of becoming a permanent fixture on the panel, which includes Denise Welch, Coleen Nolan and Nadia Sawalha, reports the Mirror.
The dancer expressed her joy to the publication, saying: "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 also shared that being a panellist felt less stressful than appearing as a guest on the show.
Explaining her experience, she said: "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."
Viewers were moved when Oti discussed personal challenges on Loose Women, including her brother's suicide, her reasons for leaving Strictly, and her body confidence issues. 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 the 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."
In a move that shocked fans last month, ITV announced that after its 17th run, which wrapped up in March, Dancing On Ice would not glide onto our screens again. The show first premiered in 2006 and, following a break starting in 2015, made its return to television in 2018.
An ITV spokesperson confirmed: "Following another successful series earlier this year, Dancing On Ice will be rested in 2026 with no current plans for another series."
The spokesperson added: "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
