Strictly pro Oti Mabuse has captured the hearts of I’m A Celebrity viewers with her bubbly personality and determination.
Her latest triumph – collecting eight out of nine stars in the gruelling Sinister Sarcophagus trial – cemented her place as one of this season’s fan favourites.
But while Oti is busy surviving the jungle’s trials, her husband, Marius Iepure, has shared a touching family update. We’re not crying, you are!
I’m A Celebrity star Oti misses family milestone
Appearing on ITV’s Lorraine, Marius opened up about Oti’s time in the I’m A Celebrity jungle and its impact on their family.
Connecting via video from Australia – where he’s juggling the role of supportive husband and solo parent – Marius shared the bittersweet experience of watching Oti thrive while missing her family back home.
“Of course, she is missing her,” Marius told Lorraine Kelly of their little girl. “Every mother misses her baby.”
The couple have been married for 10 years and welcomed their first child just over a year ago.
I was telling her how she is doing and how she has started to walk.
With Oti in the jungle, Marius has been fully immersed in parenting. He also shared how their daughter has reached a major milestone during Oti’s absence.
During the show, contestants received letters from loved ones to boost their morale. Marius’ heartfelt note to Oti brought her to tears. However, he revealed to Lorraine that a crucial detail about their daughter was omitted from the televised version.
“Actually, in the letter that I sent her, there was a little bit more text,” he explained. “I was telling her how she is doing and how she has started to walk.”
“Aw!” Lorraine cut in.
“But most importantly, she gave me that possibility to connect with her on a much deeper level,” Marius continued.
“Mums and babies connect in a different way than dads with babies and now, because of this, I think it’s a great opportunity for Oti to find her Zen and for me to connect with my daughter on a deeper level.”
‘She’s the Queen of the Jungle, obviously’
Oti’s time in the jungle has been defined by her courage and charisma. Whether she’s tackling physically demanding trials or providing emotional support to fellow campmates, she’s proven herself a strong contender for the title of Queen of the Jungle.
Lorraine highlighted the growing support for Oti from fans and her fellow contestants.
“Tulisa was on this show yesterday and Tulisa said that she wanted Oti to win. Melvin [Odoom] as well said last night that he wanted her to win too, there’s this growing swell of people who would actually like to see a Queen of the Jungle, I think she’s got a great chance.”
Marius commented on the unpredictable nature of the competition.
“I think everybody can win, up until when Jane [Moore] was out, and she was doing so well, and then we had Dean [McCullough], who was doing all of those seven challenges, I think. It was really really crazy so for me, everyone can win.”
However, he remains hopeful that Oti will make it to the final. “Of course for me, she’s the Queen of the Jungle, obviously.
“And she can dance a very good Samba, so she’s going in the right direction. I’m really hoping that she is going to be in the final of this. That would be huge.”
“Yeah, I see her there already,” Lorraine agreed.
Read more: I’m A Celebrity viewers in stitches as Oti Mabuse smashes reused trial following Dean McCullough’s epic fail
I’m A Celebrity continues tonight (Wednesday, December 4) at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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