Oti Mabuse has revealed that she has received 'abusive' messages during her seven year stint on BBC show Strictly Come Dancing.
In a candid piece about her career, the Dancing On Ice judge, 31, wrote that she has been 'fat-shamed' and faced racist comments during her TV career.
The professional dance added that while she understands the awful views of some do not represent the majority of viewers, she noted: 'I've tried for so long to think about it this way.'
Speaking her truth: Oti Mabuse, 31, has revealed that she has received 'abusive' messages after appearing on Strictly Come Dancing
Writing for the Radio Times, Oti said: 'I've faced some backlash while performing on the show. I've never really spoken about it.'
'I've tried for so long to think about it this way: I work on a show that ten million people love; if ten or 100 people aren't nice to me, that is not representative of everyone else's view.
'It's taken years for me to get that into my head. To get tweeted or receive a message in my inbox being racially abusive, or fat-shaming me, is horrible. But it's written by a person who can't even face themselves in the mirror.'
Elsewhere in the piece Oti explained that dancing has always acted as a type of therapy. She explained: 'Dance has always been there. I am a South African woman.
Tough side of the job: Writing for the Radio Times , Oti said: 'I've faced some backlash while performing on the show. I've never really spoken about it' Pictured on the 2021 series of Strictly with partner Ugo Monye
'We dance when we're sad, striking, angry. It's a way of expressing ourselves and it's an art. As a child, my friends and I used to dance on the street — a car would pass with its music blaring and we'd dance.'
Oti made her first appearance on Strictly in 2015 when she was partnered with Olympic boxer Anthony Ogogo, 33, finishing in 14th place.
The following year she reached the final with
