Oti Mabuse is given a hero’s welcome by campmates as she returns to her Gold Coast lodge arm-in-arm with husband Marius Lepure after semi-final exit from I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

Oti Mabuse was given a hero’s welcome as she returned to the five star Marriott Hotel following her semi-final elimination from I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

The former Strictly Come Dancing professional, 34, was joined by husband Marius Lepure, who shared an emotional reunion with his wife on the jungle bridge following her exit on Saturday evening. 

Previously eliminated contestants Jane Moore, Melvin Odoom, Maura Higgins, Alan Halsall, GK Barry and Dean McCullough were on hand to give her a rousing reception outside their luxury hotel on Australia’s Gold Coast. 

But there was no Tulisa Contostavlos, with the N-Dubz singer taking an early flight back to the United Kingdom following her surprise third place elimination. 

Loose Women panellist Jane was seen enveloping Oti in a warm embrace as the dancer emerged from her rear of her car on Saturday. 

Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse was the ninth campmate to be voted off I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here on Saturday evening.

There were raucous cheers and a round of applause from her fellow campmates, notable ex Love Island contestant Maura, who caught the eye in a skintight black lycra onesie. 

The professional dancer’s exit reveals the three finalists as Coleen Rooney, 39, Danny Jones, 38, and Reverend Richard Coles, 62.

Oti was greeted over the bridge by her husband Marius as the pair shared a passionate kiss after celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary on Friday. 

She will be reunited with her daughter of 13 months who she went on the show for, because she wanted to prove, ‘Mum has goals too’.

And the Dancing on Ice judge did just that as she quickly became a favourite among her fellow campmates who praised her uplifting and caring nature.

Oti won immunity from the vote until the Cyclone challenge, which she successfully tackled today, after winning a trial on Thursday night.

Dressed in gold hotpants and cape, the mother-of-one called herself Captain Bokke as she joined Coleen, Rev Richard and Danny on the slippery tarpaulin and had jets of water and exercise balls thrown at her. 

Speaking to Ant and Dec as she left the jungle she admitted: ‘You just come out as a stronger different person.’

The campmates have opened up a lot this year, and Oti explained: ‘Yes we cried a lot. Jane got us started and we never stopped! I never knew I was a crier.’ 

Revealing her worst day in camp she added: ‘There was one day I did a challenge, I came and cooked, did a trial and made dinner and then I did a challenge and then Maura threw away the food. 

‘I just thought, I can’t do this anymore and I’m not good at change and I just let it go.’

Discussing what she has learnt about herself as a person she continued: ‘I have learnt to be happy with who I am. And that group allowed me to be all different versions of myself. I feel mentally and physically stronger.’

Asked who her winner is Oti appeared torn as she said: ‘Coleen is so strong and powerful in her silence and she gets on with it, but I’m going for Danny as my winner.’ 

Oti was left emotional during her surprise jungle reunion with husband Marius on Friday, after nearly three weeks apart.

The former Strictly star, who welcomed a baby daughter with the Romanian dancer, 42, in November 2023, was left stunned when her partner emerged from the trees and threw her arms around him.

Oti gushed: ‘Walking through the jungle this beautiful face was the last face I expected to see but the best surprise ever.’ before telling him how good he smelt.

Marius was full of surprises and in one pocket had an outfit that their baby had worn the day before, bursting into tears Oti hugged and smelled the tiny baby grow, declaring: ‘This is the perfect gift!’

He also produced a brand new diamond ring to celebrate the couple’s tenth wedding anniversary, with the dancer placing the sparkler on her finger.

She said: ‘This is exactly what I needed to spur me on until the end.’ As they went their separate ways, Oti then hugged and kissed him goodbye saying: ‘I love you.’

Last week Oti shared her premature birth story with Rev Richard Coles, after previously revealing it left her with sepsis and diabetes.  

Chatting with Richard, Oti explained how her baby was placed in an incubator after birth, and as she couldn’t hold her she used her voice to connect with her.

She said: ‘They find comfort in your voice. For two months, every single day we’d sing church music.’

Richard shared his own story, saying: ‘I remember going once to baptise a little boy, a premature boy, he was born very premature, he was only just alive…’

Stopping what he was saying because he was overcome with emotion at the memory, Richard fought back tears, as Oti got up to give him a hug.

He went on: ‘I just remember he was this tiny little pulse of life, and David [his then partner] got a pipette of water and we blessed it, and we baptised him and he survived and now he’s a healthy young footballer, which is great! But I just felt so… it was such a precious thing.’

Oti agreed: ‘They are, my daughter was really, really tiny when she was born. It’s hell. It’s hell to be in the hospital, to hear those sounds, to not see your baby’s eyes for a week, it’s hell to constantly look for advice from the doctors.’

Trying not to cry, Oti shared what she called the worst thing for her, which was that ‘every night, you need to leave them, you need to leave your baby in someone else’s hands.’

Saying that she can’t wait for Richard to meet her, Oti asked: ‘Maybe you can say a prayer over her, I would really love that.’

Richard admitted: ‘I’ve already said a prayer for her actually.’ With tears in her eyes, she thanked Richard and gave him a big hug.

Oti has opened up about  her body struggles as she admitted she has been called fat after her weight gain during Thursday’s episode.

Chatting with Maura Higgins, the professional dancer candidly revealed how she used to be unhealthy and underweight as she confessed she even lost her period for months. 

Explaining how she was taking laxatives and starving herself, Oti told the campmates: ‘I get so many comments about my body,’ as she shared that in articles people would say that she’s fat.

She continued: ‘I used to find it difficult because my weight gain wasn’t actually my fault, it was me getting over a weight problem.

‘It was me actually not starving myself, not being on laxatives, not smoking, being a vegan. 

‘It was actually me being healthy for the first time and I really struggled being like why are people calling me fat? Actually, this is the healthiest I’ve ever been.’

Discussing her intense dancing training, Oti confessed: ‘I was underweight, I didn’t get my period for months. I didn’t eat, we would dance all day, we would drink but we wouldn’t eat. 

‘My ribs were sticking out. And back in those days it was like, “Oh, she’s amazing, she’s got a nice body” but I was like, “No, but this is me being healthy”.’ 

Supporting the dancer, Maura complimented her as she added: ‘And you’re beautiful! And you’re sexy, you’ve got the best ass I’ve ever seen. Let me tell you!’

Empathising with the star, Maura said: ‘I get that I’m fat! And then I get that I’m underweight. It’s just either underweight or fat. It’s never, ‘Oh she looks good’.’

Oti added: ‘I always get she’s loud, she’s screeching, why is she always on my TV screen?’

Talking to the camera, Oti said of her and Maura’s chat: ‘We have so many open and uncensored conversations about what we think about ourselves and our bodies. 

‘She understands me and she understands how hard it is to get up and wake up in a world where you feel like people don’t love you and still fight.

‘I know I fight everyday because I know my daughter is watching and I do it for, I don’t want her to be fighting generational traumas the way I am.’