Strictly's Motsi Mabuse: Marriage to dancer husband, rarely seen daughter and 'secret' second sister

Motsi Mabuse is one of the most recognisable faces in British television thanks to her role as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing - here's all you need to know about her

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Michelle Townsend

23:57, 20 OCT 2023

Strictly's Motsi Mabuse (Image: BBC/Kieron McCarron)

Motsi Mabuse has become a very familiar face across the UK and Ireland since joining Strictly Come Dancing in 2019.

The fiery South African dancer replaced Dame Darcey Bussell on the hit BBC show and judges alongside Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood.

While we know lots about Motsi's dance expertise, fun-loving style and bubbly personality, what do we know about her family life away from Strictly?

Motsi is married to a fellow dancer, has a five-year-old daughter and a very close bond with her siblings.

Motsi Mabuse's ex-husband and divorce

Motsi was previously married to German dancer Timo Kulczak, who she had met at the Blackpool Open Dance Championships.

The couple got married in 2003, when Motsi was just 22 years old.

They divorced after 11 years of marriage in 2014.

Who is Motsi Mabuse's husband?

In 2015, Motsi revealed she was in a relationship with Evgenij Voznyuk, a professional dancer from Ukraine.

The couple danced together in competitions for the last two years of her professional career and romance blossomed between them.

They tied the knot in June 2017, with Motsi previously telling The Sun: "Three years later whoosh! And then I was married.

"We stopped and it was then that we realised that we wanted to do more than just dance together."

She added that Evgenij is her "best friend" and that they share a "deep honesty".

Motsi Mabuse and her husband Evgenij Voznyuk during the Strong Mind Retreat Charity Gala by Cathy Hummels at Kronthaler Hotel on June 2, 2022 in Achenkirch, Austria.

Motsi Mabuse's daughter

Motsi and Evgenij have a five-year-old daughter but they prefer to keep her name out of the spotlight.

The Strictly judge has never made her little girl's name public, and only shared one video of her online, but you cannot see her face.

Motsi Mabuse shares rare video of her daughter (Image: Instagram)

"We did one video because she turned five, but as much as I love talking about her, we keep it all so separate," Motsi told The Guardian.

She added that TV and fame make up a third of her life, so "the other two thirds" have to be balanced.

"Obviously, I see people in their celebrity life [sharing content], and I'm like, 'Oof, that's a little bit too much for me.' But that’s how we were raised."

'Secret' sister

It is well known that Motsi is the older sister of former Strictly pro and back-to-back champion Oti Mabuse. She quit the show last year after seven seasons and is now a judge on Dancing on Ice.

But not many people know that there is a third Mabuse sister.

Motsi Mabuse with sisters Oti and Phemelo (Image: Instagram)

Phemelo is the middle child and even though she is said to be the best dancer out of the three, she has a very different career.

Phemelo won numerous dance titles in South Africa and still teaches, but works full-time as a mechanical engineer and builds windmills for a living.

Oti previously revealed to Jonathan Ross: "To be honest, we have another sister, middle sister, she was the better dancer.

"She's a mechanical engineer. She designs windmills which create electricity through wind in South Africa."

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