The professional dancer appeared on Loose Women as she discussed her exit from the BBC show and her time in the jungle
Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Oti Mabuse discussed her family dynamic on Loose Women after she received criticism for "leaving" her daughter.
During Wednesday's (9th April) instalment of Loose Women, lead panellist Ruth Langsford was joined by Denise Welch and Jane Moore as well as guest panellist Oti Mabuse who was filling in for the day.
Oti and Jane reunited after both starring on ITV's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! last year - GK Barry also appeared on the same series.
As they celebrated seeing each other again, Jane joked about spending time with Oti's husband, Marius. She mused: "I was having a great time with Marius" as they laughed together, the studio showed a video of Jane dancing with him along with the other family members of I'm a Celeb contestants.
While on the daytime show, Oti opened up about the criticism she faced from people online about leaving her daughter at home with her husband Marius while she went in the jungle.
She shared: "It’s okay to leave the child and let the Dad, Dad... You’re damned as you do and if you don't", before adding: "I grew up watching my mum study and work at the same time."
Speaking about her husband's relationship with their daughter, the star joked: "I don't exist in this whole family, that is her man and I'm just borrowing him from time to time" as she reflected on their close bond.
She continued to add that "it’s nice for her to see me be competitive and ambitious", but that she always comes back home and: "Doesn't mean I love you any less".
Denise Welch chimed in as she added: "I would've been judged but I wasn't because there was no social media. Believe me, I made some huge mistakes... He [Matty] always said I never remember missing you because I was with people who loved me."
Jane then mentioned that Oti slept a lot in the jungle for the first time since she had her daughter. Oti confessed: "I slept, I think all mums should go to the jungle and sleep for three weeks."
Oti joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2015 before making the decision to leave in 2022. She won the glitzy show twice, first in 2019 with Emmerdale's Kelvin Fletcher and then the following year with Bill Bailey.
Speaking about why it was time for her to leave, she admitted: "That show trampolined many other doors and career opportunities for me. I wanted to explore different things, I wanted to start a family."
Reflecting on growing up, she added: "I'd never done anything in my life but dance, I'd never travelled, I'd never met different types of people". She then declared that she was "happy" on the show, but it was just her time to try something new.
Loose Women airs on weekdays from 12:30pm on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.
