It was January 2025 when Motsi Mabuse realised she needed to overhaul her health. ‘I noticed a complete shift in my energy levels and I started having pain in my knees,’ she told Women’s Health. ‘I had moments when I thought, “I’m not feeling [okay] in my body, I’m not comfortable with myself.”’

For the Strictly judge, this was a red flag – and her doctor confirmed her fears. ‘We did a full-body check-up and my doctor said, “Mrs Mabuse, you can’t continue like this.”’ Motsi’s results showed inflammation and high levels of cortisol – and then there was her family history of type 2 diabetes. ‘My doctor said, “The numbers show that you’re at risk. If you want to stay healthy in the long term, we need to make some changes.”’

It was the wake-up call she needed. With the help of her sister Phemelo, she put an action plan in place to get back on track.

She started walking

‘My sister is very much into training – Ironmans, marathons, swimming – so I knew she was the right person to get motivation from,’ says Motsi. But to her surprise, her sister’s prescription was, quite simply, to take a walk. ‘Just 10 minutes, then you progress to 15 minutes – and we can move from there.’

She started strength training

With her walking habit established, she began to strength train with a PT once a week – ‘the heavy stuff’ – but carried on the hard work at home with 60 minutes of walking on an incline, followed by weight training.

She didn’t give up

Motsi built up her strength through consistency. ‘The first time my trainer said I needed to walk on an incline, I was suffering,’ she said. ‘Now I’m at the highest incline and it’s not an issue.’ She also does Pilates and swims in the sea for 20 minutes, twice daily.

She overhauled her lifestyle

Motsi changed her diet, introducing intermittent fasting for 16 hours a day, and began taking regular saunas. ‘I do sauna, ice bath, sauna, ice bath and finish with sauna at the end,’ she says. And she ringfenced one day a week for hanging out with her partner. ‘Thursdays are for me – I do Pilates and then I have a breakfast date with my husband,’ she told Women’s Health. ‘We sit and talk about everything – the dance school, our daughter. We’re together and it’s so important for our relationship.’