ITV's Oti Mabuse teases major career U-turn after Dancing on Ice axe

star has teased a major career U-turn after was axed after 19 series on the airwaves. The 34-year-old professional dancer shot to fame in the UK when she joined the cast of back in 2015.

During her time on the long-running show she has taken home the coveted glitterball trophy twice before she bid farewell to the programme in 2022. Months later, the mum-of-one decided to pack up her dancing shoes for a role on the judging panel of rival dance competition, Dancing on Ice. But ITV bosses announced that the figure skating reality show has been "rested" with "no current plans for another series" last month.

But that hasn't slowed down the TV star - who has teamed up with eBay on its List to £1k Spring Cleaning Challenge. Oti has continued to soar both on and off the small screen.

Earlier this month, Oti made her ITV debut as a Loose Women panellist alongside Ruth Langsford, Denise Welsh, and Jayne Moore. And it appears as though fans could be seeing more of her on the ITV daytime show, as she teased fans about her upcoming projects.

Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, she told us what it was like to appear on the ITV talk show. She told us: "That was amazing, it was really fun. I have to give it up to Ruth, Jayne and Denise because they were so lovely and we had so much fun, and they made me feel so welcome and at ease.

"I was obviously nervous, but it was nice to be padded around by people who know what they're doing." Speaking about how it compared to her previous appearances on the show, Oti admitted it was a lot less stressful to be a panellist rather than as a guest.

She explained: "I was less nervous as a panellist than I am as a guest because as a guest there's specific things that you have to say. Whereas a panellist, they just let you talk, and you discuss things and it's like sitting with your friends and having a coffee and just chatting away."

It was at this point that the ballroom dancer revealed her plans to come back on the show again as a panellist. She gushed: "I would definitely come back. Right now, I'm really, really, really bust, but it was such an amazing experience, and I absolutely loved it."

During her time on the programme, she revealed what it was like to be reunited with her fellow jungle campmate Jayne. She told us: "I loved seeing Jayne again.

"It's just a different environment, you know? It's her world. She's done Loose [Women] for 25 years from the very beginning. The topics I think lent themselves to me getting to know her even more than what I did.

"She's very strong, she's a very determined. She's a woman who could speak up for herself. So, seeing her and seeing her opinions on certain topics, it's like the Jayne that I know."

Speaking about her other co-stars, she gushed: "I really admire that strength in Ruth as well because I know Ruth as a person. I've never known Denise, but I know of her because I'm a huge, huge fan of the show and I went to watch the tour.

"So I think all the ladies, just seeing them in their environment was inspiring as well. I think the nice thing is what you see backstage is what you see on camera.

"I think that, for me, was so refreshing that what people were saying is what they said when the cameras weren't rolling and it's genuinely what they thought. No one was told what to say, it was really their opinion and it wasn't hectic, it was calm, it was quiet."

During her time on the show, the TV personality opened up about several difficult topics including her brother's suicide, why she left Strictly, and her struggles with her body confidence. She revealed: "I think being on Loose [Women], which is what is so amazing about it, is that everybody's got their independent life experiences.

"And I shared mine and I'm very open about it and I think since th jungle that has helped me to just be me and not be afraid of just being honest and being genuine and being authentic. Those things did happen and I don't shy away from it.

"They don't make me less than a person, if anything, I think I'm at a point in my life right now where I can address them and I know how to articulate and be sensitive because other people are going through the same thing, but it's also to raise awareness.

It comes after Oti teamed up with eBay for their new List to £1k Spring Cleaning Challenge in a bid to help Brits unlock the value in their homes.

The campaign hopes to encourage 80 per cent of people who admit to having unused items in their homes to make some extra cash by selling them on the popular resale website.

Speaking about her passion for the campaign, Oti gushed: "I love to clean, it gives me a sense of freedom and for my mental health and my mental space to know that where I'm resting at home is somewhere I can relax and feel myself.

"For me, working with people like eBay and this campaign of spring cleaning and taking out some of the things that I don't use anymore in my life and putting them up and knowing that they're going to somewhere safe and they're going to be loved so that I can spring clean my space is something that I enjoy as well."