How Oti Mabuse Met Her Husband?

Dancing on Ice judge Oti Mabuse shattered Strictly fans' hearts last month when she announced her departure from the long-running competition to focus on other projects.

Her co-stars on the show included Kelvin Fletcher and Bill Bailey, with whom she won the glitterball in 2019 and 2020, but she's devoted to one guy — her spouse Marius Iepure.

You may be aware that Marius, a Romanian-born dancer, competed in group dances on Strictly in 2017, and you've undoubtedly guessed that he's one of Oti's greatest admirers.

But do you know how the pair met and what each of them has stated about what keeps them together? Continue reading to learn more...

How did Oti Mabuse meet her husband?

Oti and Marius were presented by another cherished Strictly family member — Oti's elder sister and show judge, Motsi Mabuse!

After Oti relocated from South Africa to Germany, Motsi offered some male pros for her to try out as dancing partners. Marius was Oti's first choice, and the exceptional couple not only won the German National Show Dance Championships and came second at the World Latin Championships, but they also fell in love and married in 2014.

However, as Oti has subsequently revealed, it wasn't all plain sailing between the two. Last year, she remarked on the She's Just a Dancer podcast: "I have a huge personality, and he has a big personality, too. As a result, there was some tension."

Before their physical relationship began, the two disagreed, with Oti admitting: "There was a point when he stated to me, 'No. You have to do it because you have no idea what you're doing.' 'Let me tell you what I do know,' I murmured as I turned to face him. 'I know how to pack my belongings and flee.'

Do Oti Mabuse and Marius Iepure have children?

The pair is currently focused on their jobs, with Marius now teaching dancing, while Oti has stated that they would desire children in the future. In an interview with Fabulous magazine, the two-time Strictly winner stated: "We'll probably wake up one day and exclaim, 'It's the time!' I'll want to offer my nieces some relatives at some time, but it's not required right now."

The pair has a dog named Leo that they both adore.

When did they get engaged?

In a touching post in 2017, Oti remembered their engagement, saying, "Three years ago today, this amazing crazy man was aggravating the life out of me because he was acting worried (and yes, I let him know I was upset), but it was just because he was nervous because he was about to propose."