Oti Mabuse

My sister loves to play Christmas music - especially Mariah Carey’s 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' - that’s definitely the best to dance to.

I’m obsessed with 'Wicked', and I’d love to play Nala in 'The Lion King'. Some of the songs from 'The Lion King' are performed in my native tongue, so when the cast performed an extract from the show in 'Strictly' in the language I grew up with, it made me cry."

I can make a beginner, anyone with no dance experience, look amazing if we put in the hours.

I’ve dedicated my life to competitive dancing, so I’d like to pass that on to others. You can’t be half-hearted about competitive dancing, you have to be prepared to give your whole life over to it."

South Africa is really diverse, with many cultures and 11 official languages, so there are lots of different Christmas traditions.

It's really important to always have a positive mind-set, no matter what people have been through.

My family plays a big part in my role as a dancer and my sister was my first trainer. She’s still my role model and inspiration until this day. She was my first trainer, she taught me my first steps."

I know first-hand what it’s like to be judged and to have someone criticise your creativity, your hard work and your art."

At the end of the day, a show like 'Strictly' is not about what colour you are, or where you come from. It is about how hard you are prepared to work and how well you can dance.