I’m A Celebrity star Oti Mabuse has opened up on the show about the death of her half-brother, who died by suicide when he was 16.
The Strictly Come Dancing star, 34, told fellow campmates that her teenage brother Neo might not have taken his own life had he spoken out about his feelings.
Her candid words came after McFly star Danny Jones recalled having a panic attack live on TV.
‘I had a brother who committed suicide when he was 16 and I think if he had spoken to someone about what he was feeling, it would’ve been a different turnout,’ she said on last night’s episode of the ITV show.
‘Especially in our culture, we don’t really open up,’ she added.
Speaking of grief within her family she explained: ‘Every year we celebrate his birthday, but it’s the people that are still left with the aftermath that feel it every single day and you have to go out in the world and be strong and happy and bubbly and positive, but it’s tough.
‘So if you don’t talk about it, no matter how frustrating it is, and if you don’t get those feelings out, if you don’t seek the help, it’s hurtful for you, as well as the people around you that love you.’
Tulisa then told Oti: ‘I think you’re amazing at that Oti, you go out everyday, your energy is so positive and so light. That’s like your superpower.’
Oti revealed her half-brother took his own life in the early 90s, so she was very young when it happened.
The star had previously detailed the family tragedy in her book Chili in the Blood: My Dance Through Life.
Oti was born in Pretoria, South Africa, in 1990, and she wrote in her book about how her half-brother’s death was seen as a bad omen by their community.
‘He killed himself with a poison. And because the people of Africa are very religious and superstitious, something bad arose in our neighbourhood,’ she wrote in her book, as per the Daily Mail.
‘With the suicide of Neo, our family was seen as one where there was a negative energy. Because of this rumour, no one came to us any more, because it was feared that bad energy applied to the visitor.’
Viewers praised Oti for her bravery in opening up about her family’s tragedy, as @RyanTheSoapking said: ‘An Oti Mabuse appreciation tweet! Can we just take a moment to appreciate how brave Oti was opening up about her 16 year old brother.
‘The fact that she was inspired by Danny to open up made the moment even more emotional.’
‘I had no idea who Oti Mabuse was prior to I’m A Celebrity but I just love her. A beautiful woman inside and out,’ wrote @DarrenLethem.
‘Danny Jones opening up about anxiety, Oti Mabuse talking about her brother…This episode is really hitting me in the feels,’ began @corriedalexo.
‘Reminder to everyone out there, especially men, that it’s so, so important to speak out if you’re struggling with your mental health.’
Oti went on to study civil engineering before pursuing a career in professional ballroom dancing.
On an episode of BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs in 2022, Oti explained how their mother Dudu missed out on pursuing her love for ballroom dancing due to growing up under apartheid.
So, when she had her own children, Dudu started her own dance school as ‘no one was teaching Black kids how to dance’ where they lived at the time.
Oti won the South African Latin American Championship eight times, after which she moved to Germany to broaden her dancing horizon.
In 2014, Oti married Romanian dancer Marius Iepure, who she met in Germany.
On Christmas Day last year, the couple announced the arrival of their first child.
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