Oti Mabuse defiantly hit back at trolls after she was 'judged' for leaving her baby daughter while she took part in I'm A Celebrity last year.
The professional dancer, 34, and her husband Marius Lepure became parents in November 2023 after their daughter was born prematurely with an infection and spent six weeks in intensive care.
The following year, Oti headed into the jungle for work and too enjoy some well-needed time for herself.
Despite her baby being in the loving hands of her father, Oti's decision to jet off to Australia for a month didn't go down well fans.
She told The Sun: 'I definitely was judged. And there were so many fathers in there, too. These people don’t know me or my relationship or my home situation. The response from everyone seemed to be, "How could you leave your baby?"
Hitting back at the harsh trolls, Oti said: 'I have to go to work. If I don’t, we don’t eat. Working does not take away from the fact I love my child, but she knows that Mummy goes to work and she goes to nursery.
Oti Mabuse, 34, defiantly hit back at trolls after she was 'judged' for leaving her baby daughter while she took part in I'm A Celebrity last year
The dancer and her husband Marius Lepure became parents in November 2023 after their daughter was born prematurely with an infection and spent six weeks in intensive care
The following year, Oti headed into the jungle for work and to enjoy some well-needed time for herself
'It’s good to teach her that she’s got to be a strong woman. I hope she looks up to me and sees that her mum works hard. She’s happy. She is my number one priority.'
It comes after Oti revealed how Marius proposed to her and revealed the one thing he did wrong during the declaration.
During last month's The Jonathan Ross Show, the Strictly star gave her account of the nerve-wracking day in 2014 which ended with Marius getting down on one knee.
But the evening did not quite go to plan as he took her out to see an unusual movie choice before the couple had a dinner, which she described as 'not my vibe'.
Looking back fondly at the chaotic day, Oti told Jonathan: 'He wanted to go watch the movie Planet of the Apes. He was really nervous. He took me to Hard Rock Cafe and they were playing metal rock and it was not my vibe.
'We went to the hotel and it was his birthday and I was about to go to bed and he said "wait before the day ends, will you marry me?" And he gave me the ring. Minus the monkeys, it was very nice!'
On Christmas Eve, Oti shared several snaps of her adorable daughter and their extended family, and said the tot is their 'greatest joy'.
Oti was pre-diabetic and was diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 28 weeks, before also experiencing complications after the birth when she contracted sepsis.
Despite her baby being in the loving hands of her father, Oti's decision to jet off to Australia for a month didn't go down well fans (pictured with Marius)
It comes after Oti revealed how Marius proposed to her and revealed the one thing he did wrong during the declaration
Oti (pictured, with Marius, right) was pre-diabetic and was diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 28 weeks, before experiencing complications after the birth when she contracted sepsis
The former Strictly Come Dancing star gave birth naturally and said she was 'singing Chicago the whole time', with the problems arising afterwards.
On show where she was joined by Brian Cox, Christina Hendricks and Chris McCausland, Oti also reflected on becoming a mum, saying: 'She's one now - one with all the attitude! She doesn't like to be told what to do, she tells us what to do.
'We haven't slept really in a year. She wakes up in the middle of the night and just starts dancing.'
On whether she'd like her daughter to follow in her footsteps, she added: 'I think as a dancer you don't always want your child to do the same thing. I'll support whatever she does but I'm hoping she'll be like an astronaut.
'I want her to try other things. For me, dancing has brought me a lot but I'd love her to explore other things.'
