‘Doesn’t Know What’s To Come’ Former Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse gives candid HEALTH UPDATE on her daughter

Oti Mabuse has revealed that she ‘doesn’t know what’s to come’ for her young daughter as she shared a candid health update during an appearance on Loose Women.

The former Strictly Come Dancing star, 35, joined Charlene White, 45, Janet Street-Porter, 78, and Kelly Brook, 45, on Tuesday’s instalment of the ITV panel show.

The group had been discussing the newly released NHS league tables, which ranked the best and worst hospitals in the UK based on waiting times, leadership, and care quality, when Oti gave an insight into her personal experiences.

Oti and her husband Marius Lepure, 41, became parents in November 2023 after their newborn was born prematurely with an infection and spent six weeks in intensive care.

Reflecting on her daughter spending eight weeks in the hospital, she told the panel: ‘I’ve spoken about my daughter being born premature, and we spent eight weeks in the hospital.

‘We were lucky that the hospital where she was born was a good one, but we live in an area that wasn’t so great.

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The former Strictly Come Dancing star, 35, and her husband Marius Lepure, 41, became parents in November 2023 after their newborn was born prematurely with an infection and spent six weeks in intensive care

‘For me, it’s really important because we know we’re gonna spend a lot of time in hospitals because of her prematurity. We don’t know what’s to come, but we know we’re going to be in hospitals.’

Oti continued: ‘It’s important for us to have a hospital that has good care, and the ambulance respond in time. Where we were – we’ve moved now – the staff were amazing. They cared for the patients, they gave the best care.

‘You could see that they were passionate about their jobs. But the money is so important. We do need to finance these hospitals.

‘Instead of sending elsewhere, put it in the NHS! Give the carers what they need, give them the equipment and support them.’

Janet then asked Oti if they had moved specifically to be closer to a better hospital, to which Oti replied: ‘Yes, that was important, that was important.’

Last year, Oti also opened up about her own health complications, including being diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 28 weeks and later developing sepsis after giving birth.

Speaking on Loose Women at the time, she said: ‘When I fell pregnant, I got gestational diabetes and we have diabetes in the family, but I didn’t really know what happens after you give birth.

‘Does it go away? Do you have to keep working? Years ago, I would see pictures of models who would have a baby, and within three weeks, they’re back and walking the runway.

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During Tuesday’s instalment of the ITV panel show, the group was discussing the newly released NHS league tables, which ranked the best and worst hospitals in the UK, when Oti shared insight into her personal experiences (Oti pictured with her husband Marius Lepure)

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Discussing why it’s important for hospitals to be properly funded, she candidly revealed: ‘For me, it’s really important because we know we’re gonna spend a lot of time in hospitals because of her prematurity. We don’t know what’s to come, but we know we’re going to be in hospitals’

‘I’m in the bathroom, I’m crying, I probably haven’t washed in like three days. How am I going to snap back?

‘It’s so difficult, and my sister and I talk about this all the time. It’s really about being healthy.

She revealed: ‘My reason for getting back into fitness was that I found out I was pre-diabetic, actually.’

Shocked, Loose Women panellist Charlene quipped: ‘Really?’ to which Oti responded: ‘Yeah, I am still pre-diabetic and it’s about trying to get back to a point where I feel strong, I can handle my food, my sugar levels are right.’

The dancer, who gave birth naturally, said she was ‘singing Chicago the whole time,’ but it was after the birth that complications arose.

She explained: ‘Once I gave birth to her, it became more traumatic, I had sepsis and I didn’t know. I had all these things, I had the diabetes, I had pelvic pain, so turning and getting up and walking was very painful.

‘Then I found out that I had sepsis. It was one thing over the other. We spent 10 minutes together, and she was taken away with my husband and the doctors.

‘She was in the incubator, and that was the first time we actually saw her. She was covered up, and she had all these machines and wires and everything covering her face.

She added: ‘This premature world only comes to light when you’re going through it… It was a really, really scary time.’