Following months of speculation about Darcey Bussell’s replacement on Strictly Come Dancing, Motsi Mabuse, the elder sister of professional dancer Oti, has been announced as the new judge.
Mabuse, 38, is a former South African and German Latin champion, and also has experience as a judge on Let’s Dance, the German version of the BBC1 dancing show.
The dancer said she was “absolutely overjoyed” to be joining the panel and hopes to “add her own bit of sparkle”.
Mabuse’s younger sister Oti has been a professional on four series of the hit show.
Charlotte Moore, director of BBC Content, said Mabuse would be “a brilliant addition to the show” when it returns for its 17th series later this year.
“She is a wonderful dancer in her own right and already has years of experience as a judge under her belt,” she continued. “We’re all looking forward to welcoming her to the Strictly family.”
Bussell announced in April that she would be stepping down as a judge on Strictly after seven years on the show.
Mabuse will be joining Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas and Bruno Tonioli on the judging panel.
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC1 in Autumn 2019.
