FINDING THE BALANCE - ‘MOTSI ON A SATURDAY NIGHT IS A SHOWGIRL BUT I CAN'T BE THAT ALL THE TIME'

STRICTLY JUDGE MOTSI MABUSE EXCLUSIVELY TELLS OK! ABOUT THE NEW SERIES HOW MOTHERHOOD HAS ALTERED HER PERSPECTIVE AND WHY SHE’S DANCING INTO A NEW DECADE

- RIANNE ISON

Being a judge on the biggest show on British telly is something Motsi Mabuse could never have imagined when she was growing up in South Africa – not even in her wildest dreams.

“I look through the eyes of that child and think, ‘Wow, is that me? Is this happening to me?’” Motsi tells OK! on our exclusive shoot. “I think to myself, ‘Little girl, can you see how things have turned out?’”

Since joining the Strictly Come Dancing judging panel, Motsi has won over the nation with her on-point, passionate critique, delivered with sparkle and sass. And this month, she’s back to bring more fun to our Saturday nights as a new line-up of celebs takes to the dance floor.

For the duration of the series, she’ll be splitting her time between the UK and Germany, where she stars in the German Strictly equivalent, Let’s Dance, and lives with her husband Evgenij Voznyuk, 39, and their three-year-old daughter.

Since welcoming her little girl and reaching the milestone age of 40 in April, Motsi has a new approach to finding that all-important work-life balance. The star, whose sister Oti also stars in Strictly, says, “I always work hard – I’ve got my businesses and goals – but my priorities have changed.”

Here, she tells us about this big shift, her recent fitness transformation and her close bond with co-star Shirley Ballas…

Hi, Motsi. We’re excited Strictly’s back…

Everyone’s really looking forward to it. The fans go crazy and every day on social media they say, “Motsi, we can’t wait!”

Who are you looking forward to watching?