Oti Mabuse reveals how her close friend Steph McGovern left her own home to let her stay for six weeks when her newborn daughter was admitted to hospital

Oti Mabuse has recalled how her 'very, very good friend' Steph McGovern came to her rescue after her daughter's 'traumatic' birth last year.

The Strictly star has spoken out for the first time about the birth of her daughter, revealing how her first child was left in a 'critical' condition and had to stay in hospital for six weeks after the premature birth.

Oti explained to the Happy mother, happy baby podcast that her good friend Steph let her and her husband Marius stay in her apartment for six weeks after the unexpectedly early birth last fall.

“My very, very good friend Steph McGovern had given us her flat to live in, she gave up her house and said 'you and Marius can use this place as long as you want,'” Oti revealed.

“So we could have a house and not be far from the hospital.”

Oti has previously spoken about her close bond with Steph after they worked together on Channel 4 show Steph's Packed Lunch.

After Channel 4 announced the show had been axed last year, Oti took to Instagram to praise her friend, calling her “a great light in my life, an impeccable leader, a female empowerer, a brilliant presenter and the kindest woman you'll ever meet.” you have seen'. 'will meet each other in show business one day.'

The new family was finally allowed to return home shortly before Christmas, announcing their daughter's arrival in a December 25 Instagram post.

Oti's parents “dropped everything” and flew from South Africa to support the couple and her sister. Strictly judge Motsi Mabuse also spent Christmas with them.

She remembers coming home with her daughter to find that Marius and her family had decorated the house with balloons and Christmas decorations and had cooked a feast.

“It just felt good, it felt like a celebration, it really felt like birth, it felt like it should have felt six weeks earlier,” she said.

In a recent Instagram post dedicated to her family, Oti wrote that “Mom and Dad have been so wonderful in helping me and @mariusiepure find our way. they were there for every feeding, every appointment, every cry and every important moment we needed them.”

“I see love when I see how much my parents and sisters love my little girl. We're a close family, but we've definitely grown closer since she's been here.”

The Strictly star has spoken out for the first time about her daughter's birth, revealing how her first child was left in a 'critical' condition and had to stay in hospital for six weeks

Oti explained to the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast that Steph let her and her husband Marius stay in her flat for six weeks after the unexpectedly early birth last autumn

Oti's parents 'dropped everything' and flew from South Africa to support the couple and her sister. Strictly judge Motsi Mabuse also spent Christmas with them (pictured with her mother)

'They dropped everything they were doing, @motsimabuse canceled their holiday plans to be by our side, non-stop calls from @phemelom. I'm so grateful to have my family.”

'Especially mother – I couldn't do this without her, we fight and laugh about it, but she cooks, cleans, washes, helps watch the little one when we work and forgets that it's our baby and not hers, but she is a super mother and I hope that one day she will be a fraction of the mother she is.'

Oti explained that her daughter was born 'very premature' and had to spend six weeks in hospital before finally being discharged just before Christmas.

The dancer detailed her 16-hour labor and said her daughter, whose name she has not revealed, was taken for tests immediately after birth.

Oti, whose husband is fellow dancer Marius Iepure, was diagnosed with sepsis during childbirth and as a result her daughter suffered infections, leading to a six-week stay in the NICU.

“The last 10 weeks have been difficult, but life-changing,” she said.

“I haven't really talked about it publicly because it was something we went through and as hard as it was, there were so many learning curves and things to be grateful for.”