'Strictly Come Dancing' judge Motsi Mabuse was told she would never make it in Germany because of her skin colour.
Motsi Mabuse
The South African dancer - who replaced Darcey Bussell as a judge on the Saturday night favourite in 2019 - moved to Germany aged 18 to pursue a dance career, but was cruelly told she wouldn't ever be successful.
She said: "When I moved to Germany at 18 and was told, 'You’ll never make it because black people are lazy,' well, that gave me the energy to prove them wrong."
The TV star also spoke out about the troubles she faced as a black girl, but how her father always taught her and sister Oti, 31 - who is a professional dancer on 'Strictly' - to fight for their dreams.
She said: "We were faced with the harsh reality of South Africa every day.
"Our parents, Peter, a judge, and Dudu, who founded a preschool for young black children, instilled in us that as black girls, things will be more difficult. Full stop.
"They would tell us to 'get up and chase your dreams and do something about it'."
Motsi opened up about her experiences as part of Black History Month, and she was keen to stress the importance of representation and gushed how "proud" she is to be a part of the hit show.
In a piece for The Sun Newspaper, she wrote: "It’s hard for people of colour who are successful, because you feel people are questioning whether you’re actually good at what you do or whether you’re ticking a box as a black person.
"But at the end of the day, for some people, what starts as ticking a box might change and make a difference for others.
Representation matters.
"I’m proud to be on 'Strictly; because I see how they are leading the way with diversity."
Motsi joins fellow judges Shirley Ballas, 61, Craig Revel Horwood, 56 and Anton Du Beke, 55 as they oversee this year's star-studded line-up, which includes Loose Women's Judi Love, 40, and ex-'Corrie' star Katie McGlynn, 28.
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