It's time to dig out the glitter, search out those sequins and brush up again on our cha-cha-chas because tonight at last sees the return of Strictly Come Dancing.
And all set to head up the razzamattaz is sparkle-loving judge, Motsi Mabuse.
Now in her third year on the panel, she’s well aware she’ll have to make some hard decisions in the coming weeks. And she knows one pro who will be really keen to impress – her sister Oti, 31, who last year made history as the first pro dancer to win the glitterball twice in a row, and is now aiming for the hat-trick. “There’s a lot of pressure on my sister,” laughs Motsi, 40.
“There’s a lot of pressure on my little one. But she’s a lion. She’s a fighter, she’s got all great qualities and she’s not going down without a fight.”
And while Motsi says the sisters, who grew up in South Africa, keep things strictly professional once the wheels of the show are set in motion, their shared background gives them a similar push to succeed. “Every time before Strictly starts we get a beautiful text from our dad,” explains Motsi, whose parents Peter and Dudu still live in South Africa.
“He reminds us of our position here, what it means and what we stand for.” Motsi was brought up in Pretoria and was just eight when Nelson Mandela was freed.
But she still remembers her early school days during apartheid.
So for her lawyer father it’s particularly poignant that his daughters are not only able to live free from the apartheid segregation, but that they are the biggest stars on one of the world’s biggest TV shows.
“He wants us to be proud of who we are, to remember we’re representing our family to the people watching and to know that this affects so many lives,” explains Motsi.
“Yes, it’s a TV show but it offers a lot of hope for many, many people.
“We are the children of Nelson Mandela and when we go out into the world, this is who we are.”
For Motsi, who has been a judge on Germany’s Let’s Dance for 15 years, the reality of being a Strictly star is still sinking in. But as she starts her new year alongside head judge Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood and new addition Anton du Beke, mum Motsi hopes this is the time to finally make Strictly feel like home.
“I’m really excited,” she says. “I think slowly, slowly I’m settling in and realising that I really am part of Strictly.”
“It’s been so funny to see how my professional relationship with Oti has developed over the past three years,” she adds. “Yes we’re sisters and we have a very tight relationship, but we know why we’re here and there are boundaries.
“It’s funny to see how we are in those professional surroundings, but we’ve got that respect for each other.”
Of course Motsi is no longer the newest judge on the panel with pro favourite Anton finally joining the line-up. “I’m super-excited about working with Anton,” says Motsi, who will travel back and forth through the series between the UK and Germany, where she lives with husband Evgenij Voznyukd and their three-year-old daughter and also has her dance school.
“We had our first judges’ meeting last Saturday and we got along very well. Anton is such an important part of the show and it’s one of those really feelgood stories. He’s been there from the beginning and this is just the next level for him. It was destined to be.”
As for the other judges, Motsi says her connection with Shirley was “instant” and she can’t wait to send positive vibes to Strictly’s Craig when the live shows start next week.
“I’ve missed Craig,” she laughs.
“He’s going to get a lot of beautiful love energy from me this time.”
Giving an early heads-up on the celebrity contestants she’s got her eye on as the show’s 19th series gets under way, Motsi says there are three stars she can’t wait to see on the dancefloor – CBBC presenter Rhys Stephenson, actor and husband of Emma Thompson Greg Wise and Loose Women’s Judi Love.
“I had a sneak peak in rehearsals and I’ve got a feeling Rhys and Greg will be ones to watch,” she says.
“I’m looking forward to seeing Judi too because she’s so funny and she’s got such a great personality. I’m really ready to see that confidence of hers.” Despite the excitement in the run-up to the launch, it’s already clear this year’s show will face challenges again with pandemic-related restrictions rolling on.
Boxer Nicola Adams and partner Katya Jones, who made history as the show’s first same sex couple, were sent home after just three shows last year when Katya tested positive for Covid, but already this year the show has hit a bump with one Strictly professional testing positive this week.
There’s another same-sex couple in the line up this year – this time The Great British Bake Off’s John Whaite and a partner to be revealed tonight – as well as Strictly’s first ever deaf contestant, EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis. Motsi says: “When we stop making things ‘un-normal’ it finally becomes normal that we are all one.”
She has recently lost 2st as a WW (formerly WeightWatchers) ambassador, but her boost in self esteem is not down to shedding pounds. She spent years competing as one of the world’s best Latin and ballroom dancers before joining the show in Germany. Now she wants to enjoy being healthy in a different way.
“I’m not going to be a supermodel and I’m not going to be the athlete I was when I was competing,” she explains.
“It’s about being healthy on the inside, the outside, everywhere. Coming from life as an athlete and what was quite a harsh way to be, it’s wonderful that at last I can thank my body for all it has done for me.”
Now as Motsi gears up for the Strictly whirlwind to begin, the fashion fan, whose lavish looks have been a huge hit with fans of the show, reveals she spends “most of the year” planning her outfits.
“It’s a very, very big part of it for me,” says the star. “If you’re there on TV and you’re doing Strictly Come Dancing there’s no excuse not to sparkle.
“There’s no point in holding back – we have to sparkle in every way.”
And that she does. Inside and out.
*Strictly Come Dancing, BBC One, tonight at 7.45pm.
