Strictly’s Motsi Mabuse reveals secret struggle with contestants

STRICTLY’S Motsi Mabuse has admitted she cannot understand Northern contestants on the show.

So she gets fellow judge Craig Revel Horwood to translate.

Motsi, 41, was born in South Africa and has been based in Germany for over 20 years.

She said of Brits: “The thing is, you all speak differently. 

“Every time I’m in the country I really have to concentrate. 

“Some people I just don’t know… I’m just like, ‘Are we speaking the same language?’ 

“There’s a lot of accents here.

“On Strictly I really struggle with people from the North.

“I’m like, ‘Please can you translate, at this point?’

“It’s so strong and I just don’t understand.”

Northern stars on the show in recent years have included comedian Chris Ramsey, presenter Helen Skelton, Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Sara Davies and actress Kym Marsh.

But Motsi said Blackburn-born TV presenter AJ Odudu, who reached the 2021 final, left her especially baffled.

Asked if she was hard to understand, she said: “Yes, yes, yes. But there’ve been quite a few people from the North so I’m always asking Craig.”

Aussie Craig has lived in the UK many years. Motsi joined the judging panel in 2019. She says she speaks German 80 per cent of the time. 

She added on comedy podcast Off Menu: “I’m just trying to, you know, understand and keep positive. But it’s not easy.”