Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse has revealed that she received some expert advice about presenting ahead of her new ITV dating show, Romeo & Duet, from a veteran host.
Oti made her solo presenting debut yesterday (April 16) on the new series, which features contestants looking for love via the medium of song. Each contestant is serenaded with a love song, but they are unable to see the mystery singer – unless they are impressed enough by their voice to come down from their balcony.
Once a pair have been matched, they head off to learn a duet together.
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Presenter Oti quit her role as a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing this year, after seven series and two consecutive victories, and she has told The Mirror that she got some invaluable assistance from former X Factor presenter Dermot O'Leary while preparing for the role.
"I worked really closely with Dermot," she said. "He came in once and taught me to work with an autocue – how to read it, how to edit it... I was texting him all the time! Steph McGovern has also had a really huge impact."
Oti, who has already taken on judging panel roles on Dancing on Ice and The Greatest Dancer, added that she is enjoying "challenging myself" with new ventures away from dancing.
Related: Strictly's Anton Du Beke joins Cooking with the Stars
"What I wanted to do, honestly, was grow," she said. "I want to, hopefully, be blessed with a long career, which means I can do other things, whether it be a sports show or a dancing programme. I did Morning Live.
"Hopefully, I can do all these things and actually respect what they're about and bring that part of myself to those shows. So, yeah, I guess it was about growing outside of dancing."
Oti recently revealed that she felt "so nervous" about taking on the Romeo & Duet job, but said that the live audience and band made her feel more relaxed as "they were able to support me".
Romeo & Duet airs on Saturdays on ITV. Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One.
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Reporter & Sub-Editor, Digital Spy Susannah is a freelance writer and sub-editor, specialising in the entertainment industry. She graduated in 2014, with a BA in English and American Literature and Creative Writing, and an MA in Creative Producing. She’s been writing for Digital Spy ever since, after first getting involved through work experience, and has written hundreds of stories for the site on a range of topics, from The Sims to Doctor Who. Susannah has also written for Reveal Magazine. Her special interests are soaps (her Mastermind subject would be 2000s Coronation Street), Marvel and Star Wars. She can also quote far too many lines from Friends and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
