Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse has opened up about the body issues which left her crying behind the scenes of the BBC show.
The professional ballroom dancer, 28, will be joining Lorraine on Thursday (June 20) to talk about body confidence for a brand new segment on the show called Body Confidential.
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And viewers will be surprised to hear that even stunning Oti has been left in tears because of her insecurities.
The South African is now keen to encourage all men and women to feel confident about their bodies, no matter what their shape, size or age.
But she admits she hasn’t always taken her own advice.
Read more: Oti Mabuse reveals why she doesn’t want to replace Darcey Bussell as a Strictly judge
Despite having a body many women would die for, The Greatest Dancer judge has revealed she was plagued by insecurities and even broke down in tears at her first Strictly dress fitting because of her large breasts.
Oti said: “My body lessons start with these boobs. I am a 28GG.
“All my family has always had big boobs. I was hitting puberty way before other girls were. As a 12-year-old going in and saying ‘I’m looking for a B cup’, that kind of sounds unrealistic.”
She went on to say: “I’m lucky that my mum has the same issue and she was able to teach me how to deal with it. As a young girl I was always wearing jerseys over them.”
Oti, who is married to Romanian dancer Marius Iepure, described how her first dress fitting at Strictly left her in tears due to insecurities about her own body – but said the show’s team have always been supportive.
“Strictly opened a lot of doors to me,” she admits. “I remember fitting my first bra and I was crying. I was like, ‘this looks so bad and I look so massive compared to the other girls’.
“Nobody picked on me for it and no one discriminated against me for it and nobody said anything in a negative way and I think that helped me and my self-esteem and my nerves about being out in a bra with sequins on.”
Appealing to other women with similar body shapes, she revealed having a good fitting bra makes all the difference, especially given her active career and due to the fact she often suffers shoulder, neck and back pain.
She said: “Most shops cater for everyday women but, in my case, I don’t have an everyday body.
“We all come in different shapes and sizes and I think it’s really important we all embrace and celebrate the skin that we’re in. It is you after all and I think that’s really special.”
We couldn’t agree more, Oti!
Watch Oti on Lorraine tomorrow on ITV from 8.30am.
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