Motshegetsi " Motsi" Mabuse (born 11 April 1981) is a South African dancer who lives in Germany. She is known for appearing on the German dance competition Let's Dance, originally as a professional dancer, and later as a judge on the show, a position she has held since 2011.[ Since 2019, she has served as a judge on the British version, Strictly Come Dancing.]
Early life
Mabuse was born in 1981 in Mankwe, in what was then the Bophuthatswana (now in North West Province), whose independence was internationally unrecognised by any country other than South Africa and the other three of Ciskei, Transkei, and Venda.
Her family moved to Pretoria when she was five. While in Pretoria, her sister Oti Mabuse was born, and they both took an interest in dancing.
Career
Competitive career
Mabuse was expected to become a lawyer and join the family law firm, but she became intrigued by dancing while studying at the University of Pretoria. Her education moved to dancing, and in 1998, she was the runner-up in the national championships. The following year, she found her dance and romantic partner, Timo Kulczak, at the British Open Championships in Blackpool.[ They married in 2003, and they competed in international dance competitions from their home in Germany.]
Let's Dance
Mabuse became known in Germany in 2007 through the second season of the RTL dance show Let's Dance, in which she danced with singer and former Eurovision Song Contest participant Guildo Horn. The couple were eliminated in the fifth show, and finished in 6th place. In 2010, she danced in the third season on the show with Rolf Scheider, a former juror of Germany's Next Topmodel, and reached fifth place.[
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Further television and stage performances
Mabuse was among the ARD broadcasting team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and delivered background reports from South Africa.
In 2016, she made her debut as an actress at the 66th Bad Hersfelder Festspiele in The Crucible directed by Dieter Wedel.
Strictly Come Dancing
In July 2019, Mabuse was announced as a judge on the BBC dance competition Strictly Come Dancing replacing Darcey Bussell, and has appeared since the seventeenth series.
In 2021, Mabuse became an ambassador of Weight Watchers.
Personal life
From 2003, she was married to her dancing partner, Timo Kulczak. In 2014, the pair divorced after 11 years of marriage.
In 2015, it was confirmed she was in a romantic relationship with her dance partner, Evgenij Voznyuk. She became Motsi Mabuse-Voznyuk in a small legal ceremony before celebrating with more guests in Mallorca in 2017,
Filmography
| +Television |
|
| 2007, 2010 | Let's Dance | Dancer | 2nd and 3rd season |
| 2011–present | Judge | Season 4 onwards |
| 2011, 2021 | Das Supertalent | Judge, Guest Judge | 5th season (Main), 15th season (Guest) |
| 2015 | Stepping Out | Judge | |
| 2019–present | Strictly Come Dancing | Judge | Series 17 onwards |
| 2020 | Big Performance – Wer ist der Star im Star? | Panelist | |
| 2023 | DNA Journey | Herself | With Oti Mabuse |
| 2024 | | Herself (Guest judge) | |
| 2024 | The Masked Singer UK | Contestant (Turkey Crown) | The Masked Singer UK Christmas Special |
|
Further reading
External links
