Oti Mabuse’s husband reduced to tears by I'm A Celebrity star as he flies out with baby

I'm A Celebrity star Oti Mabuse’s husband Marius Iepere was moved by Oti's tears in the jungle - as he also shared a personal note about how proud he was of her

Oti Mabuse’s husband has told how he was left weeping himself after watching his wife’s tears in the Jungle.

The former Strictly star had to be consoled by her campmates as she told how she was desperately missing her family. Husband Marius Iepure - who flew out to Australia with their baby and Oti’s mum Dudu - told the Mirror of the emotional scenes: “It moved me…I definitely was crying with her. I know how real she is and how much she always tries to keep it together, so I felt it with her.”

Oti admitted on Thursday that the I’m a Celeb experience had taken a toll on her, saying that she found it “exhausting” and missed her usual support systems. “You know they say you have a dip, and I don’t think I’ve had one until now,” she said. “You don’t have your normal support you know, you don’t have your spiritual support, you don’t have your emotional support…I was just like, ‘’Wow, ok none of my family’s around.’”

With Oti visibly upset, the other campmates tried to lift her spirits. “Your jungle family’s here, though,” said Tulisa. Later in the Bush Telegraph interview, she added: “I just have to remind myself why I’m here, I just have to push and dig deep. I’m here for my daughter and I have to be strong. It’s just exhausting sometimes to be strong.”

Husband Marius was so moved by the scenes that he penned a personal message for Oti, which he shared with the Mirror. In it, he wrote: “We are having the best time watching how beautiful and kind you are and how you spread that positive South African energy with this amazing group of people.

“We have never spent so much time apart in one block and even if I didn’t think it was possible, I realise that I love you even more now because of the woman and extraordinary mother you are becoming. We watch the show and when you laugh we laugh , when you cry we cry and when you eat cockroaches we eat the best food we can get, just to balance it out. “We love you and miss you, you just stay strong because the real fun starts now! We love you so much and we are super proud of you!”

The Mirror previously spoke to Marius at Brisbane Airport this week when he flew in to support his wife, saying how their one-year-old daughter “can’t wait” to see her again. Former Strictly star Oti has previously said how it was a tough decision to leave their child at home as she returns to our screens.

But Marius said he had been coping well with baby duties while their mum was in the jungle. Asked if he was looking forward to seeing Oti, he said: “Oh my god you can’t imagine. And this one (points to baby) can’t wait.” Of caring for their child, whose name has not been revealed, he said: “It’s been so nice, I love it. We didn’t get out of the plane as she was too sleepy. She is the best baby ever.”

Asked if she could win, he said: “That’s a very difficult question.” But he said that Oti had been talking for a long time about taking part on the show. He said: “We were discussing this for a few years and she always said she would love to do it.”

The former Strictly Come Dancing winning pro and Dancing On Ice judge gave birth at the end of last year. But the baby was born prematurely with an infection and spent six weeks in intensive care after Oti developed sepsis during pregnancy. Oti, 34, said previously: “Now I have had my baby daughter, I want to get back to the adventurous and fun Oti. I feel ready for a change and doing something completely different. I will have no make-up, concealer, lashes – it’s going to be nice to be laid back.”

She said that she was looking forward to catching up on her sleep. “As a new mum, I am going to use it to my advantage, I am going to catch up on a whole year’s sleep,” she added. “Of course not seeing my daughter is going to be hard. She is going to be one of my biggest motivators. My husband is really excited I am doing the programme. He loves the show too. This is one of the shows where it is really nice to be determined, ambitious and competitive when it comes to doing a challenge. It will be about getting the stars.”

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