25 February 2024 , 11:25
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Dancing On Ice judge Oti Mabuse has revealed the traumatic details of her daughter's birth, admitting she "didn't have time to panic".
The first-time mum, 33, who welcomed her baby at the end of last year with husband, Mario Lepure, endured a 16-hour labour only to discover her daughter was born with an infection after Oti developed sepsis.
The tot, who was born two months early, spent the next six weeks in neonatal intensive care at University College London Hospital. However, thankfully, both she and Oti have made a full discovery.
Speaking about her labour, revealing she and Mario have been having therapy as part of their NHS care, Oti said: ""My daughter had an infection when she came out and the doctors gave her treatment. I didn’t have time to panic — we were just focused on her being better."
Dancing On Ice star Oti Mabuse's daughter was born two weeks early (otimabuse/Instagram)
She has chosen not to reveal her daughter's name, for now (otimabuse/Instagram)Paying tribute to the NHS, the sister of Strictly's Motsi continued to The Sun: “I always felt she was in safe hands. It was about treating her the best way we could. She had to learn to breathe on her own properly, eat on her own, and that came with time. The neonatal unit is a huge world that I didn’t know a lot about. They do amazing work."
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Despite the trauma of her labour, Oti said the experience was "empowering", revealing she was singing songs from Cabaret and calling her friends. She also said becoming a mum has made her "fall more in love" with her husband, admitting watching him with the baby was "adorable".
Oti previously revealed the couple had been "trying to conceive for a while". The new mum first shared her pregnancy news live on ITV's Oti Mabuse's Breakfast Show in November as she hugged Mario while telling viewers the couple had been "holding in some good news".
With a smile a mile-wide, she said: "Speaking of things that you didn't know at home, we have a little something for all of you, we've been holding some good news. We're having a baby!" She went on to say her "beautiful journey" is "nearly over", joking that "Christmas is about to get even louder".
Oti had told her Instagram followers: "Our 'yes' year is getting better and better and so is our little family. We feel finally ready and excited to share our wonderful news. This is new for us scarier than swimming with sharks, jumping off cliffs or even swinging from bridges but the best news we could have ever ask for."
The dancer also shared the sweet moment she told her sister Motsi and Phemelo she was pregnant and recently praised the pair, who both have children, for helping her navigate motherhood for the first time. The star has chosen not to reveal her daughter's name for the time being so “she can have a normal life and just be a child”.