Horwood and Bruno Tonioli, added: ‘I
have so much respect and admiration for
the other three judges and hope to add
my own bit of sparkle to the show. I can’t
wait to get started!’
While many of the cast congratulated
the international dance champion
on her new job, stars including AJ
Pritchard and Nadiya Bychkova had
not posted anything on social media at
the time of OK! going to press. However,
Anton du Beke, who was thought to be
front-runner for the role, was happy to
show his support, writing: ‘Welcome to
the family Motsi! You’re going to have a
great time. Can’t wait to get started.’
However sources reveal that behind
the scenes, some dancers are concerned
that Motsi will struggle to fairly judge her
sister, Oti. ‘There’s a very clear split in
the ranks over perceived favouritism for
Oti,’ the insider said. ‘It’s been a happy
ship for a long time but the feeling is that
has now changed quite dramatically. It’s
quite toxic at the moment.’ It’s not the
first time Motsi has been tasked with
judging her sister’s dancing skills. A BBC
insider insisted: ‘Motsi and Oti have
been in this position before as judge/
pro dancer on the German version of
the show for multiple series – and were
much loved.’ The close sisters have also
worked together on Celebrity Gogglebox
alongside Phemelo.REPORT BY JOSIE COPSON PHOTOGRAPHS BY BBC/RAY
BURMISTON, GETTY IMAGES, INSTAGRAM, WIRE IMAGEOK!WWW.OK.CO.UK 25Motsi, Oti and
Phemelo appeared on
Celebrity GoggleboxMotsi was ‘much
loved’ on the German
version of StrictlyAbove: Motsi and
her husband Evgenij
Voznyuk and their
daughter (right)