A devastating family tragedy that changed Oti’s “I’m A Celeb” life growing up

She wants more men to talk about their feelings after what her brother went through

Oti Mabuse bravely spoke about the tragic death of her brother by suicide I am a star after McFly’s Danny Jones spoke about his concern.

“I think it’s really good that you keep saying that people, especially young boys, need to talk,” she said.

“I don’t think young boys talk too much, and especially among young men, the suicide rate is so high, so I think it’s important to keep telling people to talk about it.”

“I had a brother who committed suicide at 16, and I think if he had talked to someone about how he felt, the turnout would have been different.”

Neo committed suicide while the former Strictly dancer was growing up in South Africa with her two sisters, Motsi and Phemelo.

He was her half-brother whom her mother Dudu welcomed from a previous relationship before she met Oti, Motsi and Phemelo’s father Peter Mabuse.

In her book, Motsi, who is also a dancer, explained that in the struggles of life, he killed himself with poison.

“I think all these changes overwhelmed him (Neo) a bit, everything seemed difficult for him,” she said.

“He attended a private school, but surrounded himself with people who could be called ‘false friends.’ It was a difficult time for all of us, but especially for my mother.”

After his death, the entire family was expelled from the town in South Africa where they lived.

“Because African people are very religious and superstitious, something bad happened in our neighborhood,” Motsi recalls.

“After Neo’s suicide, our family was seen as a negative family. Due to this rumor, no one came to us anymore because they were afraid that the guest would be affected by bad energy.”

In the jungleOti stated that people in her culture “don’t really open up”, which makes dealing with the tragedy even more difficult.

“We celebrate his birthday every year, but it’s the people who still feel the effects of it, who feel it every day. You have to go out into the world and be strong, happy, energetic and positive, but it’s hard.”

“So if you don’t talk about it, no matter how frustrating it is, and if you don’t get rid of these feelings, if you don’t seek help, it will be painful both for you and for the people around you who love you.”

Oti moved to Germany in 2012, where she appeared as a professional dancer on the German version of Strictly Come Dancing Let’s Dance.

Then, in 2015, she came to the UK as a professional in the 13th edition of Strictly Come Dancing, where she worked with Olympic boxer Anthony Ogogo.

If you feel touched by this story, please reach out to someone or contact Samaritans anytime on 116 123. You can also contact Anxiety UK on 03444 775 774, Mind on 0300 123 3393 and CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) on 0800 58 58 58.

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Featured image: ITV