By Geraint Llewellyn For Mailonline and Shannon Mcguigan
08:43 25 Dec 2023, updated 09:09 25 Dec 2023
Oti Mabuse has given birth to her first child with husband Marius Lepure.
The Dancing on Ice judge and former Strictly professional, 33, took to Instagram to announce the arrival with a sweet snap on Christmas Day.
Oti and her Marius, in matching festive onesies, lovingly cradled the tot, as well as the family’s four-legged friend, as they beamed from ear to ear.
The couple didn’t reveal when they welcomed the little one or it’s gender but captioned the post: ‘Merry Christmas Wishing you all a wonderful festive season and special memories with loved ones’.
Fans and famous friend rushed to the comments section to send their best wishes and gushed over the little one.
Comedian Katherine Ryan said: ‘HELLO WELCOME BABY’.
While former Corrie actress and DOI winner Hayley Tamaddon said: ‘Awwww Oti congratulations lovely! Have a wonderful Xmas xxx’.
Fellow new mum Chyna Mills wrote: ‘Congratulations, Merry Christmas to you’.
With one fan saying: ‘Many congratulations, have a lovely first Christmas all together’.
And another adding: ‘Congratulations to you both, what a great Christmas gift x’.
Someone else typed: ‘HOORAY!!! So many congratulations you guys – what a chrimbo pressie!!!’
Oti and Marius announced they were expecting on August 26, revealing their surprise baby news live on the mother-to-be’s own ITV breakfast show.
The Romanian dancer was teaching breakfast show guests – Marisha Wallace and Chizzy Akudolu – a dance routine shortly before he and his wife sprung the baby news upon them.
Towards the closing moments of the episode, Oti hinted the loved-up couple had been ‘holding in some good news,’ as she hugged her husband.
She revealed: ‘Speaking of things that you didn’t know at home, we have a little something for all of you, we’ve been holding some good news. We’re having a baby!’
The couple then shared a warm embrace as the crew could be heard cheering, while Marisha and Chizzy looked completely shocked by the revelation.
Shortly after, her on air announcement, Oti took to Instagram to share a carousel of sweet pictures of herself cradling her baby bump as she and her partner posed.
The mother looked stunning in a sleek blush pink off-the shoulder jumpsuit as she carefully held her growing baby bump, coupled with a huge smile from ear to ear.
Loved up alongside her partner, Oti shared the cute snapshots, honestly admitting she ‘was scared’ – even though it was ‘the best news’.
The former Strictly Come Dancing professional also implied they may have an guest for Christmas, as she teased ‘Christmas is about to get even louder’.
Her caption read: ‘Our ‘yes’ year is getting better and better and so is our little family.’
‘We feel finally ready and excited to share our wonderful news. This is new for us scarier than swimming with sharks, jumping off cliffs or even swinging from bridges but the best news we could have ever ask for.
‘We love our little bundle of joy so much already… and can’t wait to see what our future will now look like as family of 3 plus Leo, it’s been a beautiful journey so far with close friends and family and nearly over but we have learnt a lot a long the way…. Christmas is about to get even louder.’
Famous faces flocked to the dancer’s comment section to congratulate the beaming future parents.
Strictly’s Diane Buswell penned: ‘Congratulations babe,’ while Laura Whitmore commented: ‘Congrats you two! So exciting xxx.’
Rylan, who co-hosted Strictly’s spin-off show It Takes Two until 2022, shared his surprise as he wrote: ‘WHAT OMG WHAT.’
Former Strictly star and actress Kym Marsh penned: ‘Ahhh wow this is beautiful,’ and Mollie King added: ‘Amazing news guys! So so happy for you both!!’
Oti openly admitted her own fertility struggles after she announced that she was pregnant with her first child.
Chatting with her Instagram followers, Oti shared that she and Marius put a pause on trying to conceive as their hopes of having a child dwindled.
She stated: ‘We had been trying for a while and decided to stop (it all just got too much) and just live life as us two, as nothing was happening.’
She added: ‘We enjoyed each other’s company, dinners, concerts, parties and just simply removed all the pressure and here we are!’
The professional dancer avidly shared her pregnancy journey with her 682,000 followers on Instagram.
With the ups came the downs, as Oti also voiced the struggles that come with being pregnant with a sensory processing disorder (SPD), adding that her level of activity depends on how severe her condition was on any given day.
Sharing a video of herself doing a light workout, Oti wrote: ‘I completely fell off the bandwagon with my fitness and I immediately could feel it when I went back.
‘My core strength was not what it was, my balance was off and my ability hold certain positions was gone.
‘The pain started really slow but at night while sleeping would intensify (I’m not wearing a belt yet but as weeks go on I definitely will)
She added: ‘Aside from physiotherapy exercises, i still try continue to stay active in any way that is not painful.
‘My level of activity depends on how severe my SPD is that day. It can be very frustrating if you used to exercise regularly and have to stop.
‘Walking, sitting, driving all become a bit painful But we push on and grand ourselves some GRACE!’
In a change of gears, the Dancing On Ice judge also took to social media to flaunt her ‘day and night’ pregnancy looks.
The star looked incredible showing off her beautiful bump in a dark pink off-the-shoulder maxi dress paired with white heels.
She posed up a storm, sharing another beautiful snap in a figure-hugging blue velvet midi dress.
Snapping a selfie in front of the mirror, the television star cradled her bump as she offered the camera a sultry stare
Oti penned: ‘Learning to dress the bump. day and night looks… shoes lasted seriously two hours @londondancenight’
Oti and Marius met in Germany during a dance trial and competed together in several competitions.
Marius asked for Oti’s hand in marriage in 2014 on his birthday, and the pair tied the knot on the very same year.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
