I’m A Celeb’s Oti Mabuse reveals she was ‘underweight’ and ‘unhealthy’ as she speaks candidly about her physique struggles and admits she used to starve herself

Oti Mabuse has opened up about her body struggles as she admitted she has been called fat after her weight gain during Thursday’s episode of I’m A Celeb.

Chatting with Maura Higgins, the professional dancer, 34, 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.’

Oti welcomed her first daughter with her husband Marius Lepure in November 2023, and back in January the star candidly admitted that she feels her body ‘has changed so much’ since her pregnancy. 

Returning to her dance studios ahead of Dancing On Ice, Oti revealed she was shocked at how ‘soft’ her body was during rehearsals, which left her ‘exhausted’.

Speaking to her fans in a video on Instagram, Oti said: ‘First day back teaching at the school, it was so nice to see everyone, really really nice. All the teachers, all the students.

‘Guys when I tell you, my body has changed, of course my body has changed like I pushed a head, two lungs, two eyes, two legs, two arms out, yes… but everything is soft.

‘Like I was walking and my ankle just went. If I go down, my legs are like “you need help to get back up”, like I would spin and my organs would come after me behind, but I loved it.

‘I love dancing again in the studio, with our students and teaching and everyone was like “did you miss us?”, I was like “yes! I’ve been dancing in the living room, changing nappies and when somebody gets fed with a bottle”. 

‘I missed it and I missed them, they’re my people.

‘It was an experience, but I’m exhausted now, but I had such a good time with the group class and the private lessons, everything. But my god I am tired and everything is soft.’