Strictly Come Dancing judge Motsi Mabuse has spoken openly about her experience with perimenopause, describing how it left her feeling "unhappy" and "not comfortable" in her own body, significantly impacting her ability to dance with her husband.
Mabuse, 45, who joined the BBC show as a judge in 2019, said that the onset of symptoms in early last year led her to question her identity and wonder which version of herself she would encounter each morning. "Which Motsi am I meeting today?" she recalled asking herself. "Is it the one who's going to make me cry? Is it the one who's happy? Is it the one who doesn't want to see anyone? You wake up every day discovering a new side of yourself. That's menopause."
The symptoms also included a noticeable shift in her energy levels and the onset of knee pain. "I had moments when I thought, 'I'm not feeling [okay] in my body, I'm not comfortable with myself.' I love dancing with my husband, I love moving and I couldn't do that anymore. It was making me unhappy," she told Women's Health. Motsi Mabuse has revealed that going through the perimenopause left her feeling 'unhappy', 'not comfortable' in her own body and unable to dance with her husband Mabuse, married to fellow dancer Evgenij Voznyuk since 2017, expressed that the hormonal changes made her feel like she had lost control of her identity.
Health Concerns
A recent visit to her general practitioner revealed additional health concerns. Mabuse was informed she was at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a condition that runs in her family. Her doctor also noted inflammation and high cortisol levels. "We did a full-body check-up and my doctor said, 'Mrs Mabuse, you can't continue like this.' My parents and grandparents have type 2 diabetes and I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant, and my doctor said: 'If you want to stay healthy in the long term, we need to make some changes,'" she recounted. Mabuse became an ambassador for WeightWatchers in 2023 and has since lost two stone. However, she noted that she is still affected by past experiences of being told to lose weight as a young dancer. "For me, this journey was never about becoming smaller,' she said. 'It was about becoming stronger. Every dancer has had that conversation with a trainer who says, 'lose weight' and it's the most painful thing you'll ever hear." A recent visit to the doctor also showed that she was at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, which runs in her family, as well as having inflammation and high cortisol
Impact on Parenting
Seeking professional help, Mabuse found that visiting a therapist had a positive impact on her life. She stated that therapy has even influenced her approach to parenting their eight-year-old daughter. She now takes her daughter's thoughts and feelings very seriously, engaging in frequent conversations to understand her daughter's mental state. "I ask her all sorts of questions because I want to know where she mentally. There's nothing worse than your child having a mental [health] problem and you not being aware of it," she said. Mabuse is set to return to the judging panel for the upcoming season of Strictly Come Dancing. The full interview is featured in the September issue of Women's Health UK.