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‘He still remembered the cramped life,
which for us younger siblings was more
of a narrative than a truly experienced
reality,’ Motsi has revealed. ‘He killed
himself with a poison. And because the
people of Africa are very religious and
superstitious, something bad arose in our
neighbourhood. With the suicide of Neo,
our family was seen as one where there
was a negative energy.’
The Strictly judge married her dance
partner Evgenij Voznyuk in 2017, and
the pair welcomed a daughter together
in August 2018, but are yet to publicly
announce her name. The couple met
as dance partners in 2011, and now run
a successful dance school in Germany.
At the time Motsi was married to Timo
Kulczak, who was also her dance partner.
The pair wed in 2003 with just Timo’s
parents as witnesses, partly so that Motsi
could secure her German visa.
Last week, as Motsi’s appointment as
the new Strictly judge was announced,
she said: ‘I am absolutely thrilled and
overjoyed to be joining the BBC Strictly
judging panel.’ The star, who will sit
alongside Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel
Above: Phemelo, Motsi
and Oti are close,
though they had a tough
upbringing in South
Africa (below)