Oti Mabuse won’t replace Dame Darcey Bussell as a judge on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ – as it may "upset" the other dancers.
The 28-year-old star is currently a professional dancer on the BBC Latin and ballroom dance competition, but was believed to be in the running to replace Darcey – who has stepped down from the show after judging for seven series – after wowing producers with her judging talents on fellow BBC dancing show ‘The Greatest Dancer’.
But sources have now claimed Oti won’t be getting the role, as they believe the other professionals "wouldn’t react well" to having the "dynamic changed".
An insider told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre TV column: "The move would have caused uproar among the cast – it would be one thing giving Anton the role, but Oti is still fledgling in her career.
"The thought was that the other dances wouldn’t react well to Oti being a judge. She is popular, but if the dynamic changed and she went from being one of them into another role on the show it’s likely that this would cause friction and upset."
Instead, it’s likely that Darcey’s replacement will be a new face to the ‘Strictly’ ballroom, and although there’s no information on the new judge just yet, it’s believed they will be female.
The source added: "But bosses are keen on handing the role to a woman to keep the panel fair."
Meanwhile, Oti herself recently said whoever fills Darcey’s shoes needs to be "angelic" like her.
She said: "Darcey was so amazing. What she bought was this kind of angelic side of things. Whoever gets it has to show they know what they’re talking about."
Oti Mabuse won’t judge Strictly Come Dancing
