Oti Mabuse was seen getting emotional on the Loose Women panel earlier today, as she reminisced on her time on the TV show DNA journey with her sister Motsi
Oti Mabuse broke down in tears on today’s episode of Loose Women as she spoke about her emotional journey on the show, DNA Journey.
During the episode of the ITV show, which aired in 2023, Oti and Motsi Mabuse explored their family history in South Africa, in which they discovered a WWII connection.
Their grandfather, Paulus Mabuse, fought for the British in the Native Military Corps during the war. During the ITV daytime show, Oti revisited a clip of herself and her sister Motsi when they found out, which moved her to tears.
In the clip, Oti and Motsi were seen breaking down in tears when they were given medals their grandfather received for his work in the armed forces.
‘It’s a good thing, it’s an amazing thing. Please don’t think we’re sad. One of the missing pieces that we’ve missed and needed to hear for so long, it’s a beautiful thing. We’re so grateful. These are tears of, “Oh my God!”‘
The pair said they had “no idea” that there were war medals in their family, as they learnt their grandfather fought for the British in World War II. Oti revealed that her grandfather, along with many others were promised land. However, they were relocated and left in the middle of nowhere.
Oti said it made her feel “horrendous” as she said both her and Motsi cried their make-up off. However, she said they felt liberated knowing where they come from. “Now I know that I’m a granddaughter of a soldier,” she told the panel, before the clip was played.
As they cut back to the studio after the clip was played, Oti wiped away he tears as she said: “It’s moving.
“Also, I think that we tried to look for something, we didn’t wait for the show to come to us. We also asked our parents, and you can see the generational trauma that it causes.
“My dad didn’t speak to his dad and so he didn’t know. All that they knew is maybe they drank, they went to the mine, and then they died. He didn’t know that his life served a purpose and he helped save the world.
“We’re here because of people like our grandad, and it means the world to us.”
Speaking on her experience on Loose Women, Oti said it was the “best show” she’d ever done. “It gave me something personally back. Our history in South Africa is really rough. Specifically with my family it was wiped out, so we had no way of getting any information.”
Tonight, Sam Thompson and Marvin Humes will be taking part in the ITV show to discover their family history. In the episode, the duo start off in Jamaica. There, JLS star Marvin finds out that his Great Grandma Blanche was not actually married to his Great Grandfather David James.
They had four children, but immediately after the fourth, Marvin’s Grandma Ruby, was born in 1930, David James left.
Meanwhile, Sam flies into a panic when he is told he has an ancestor who spent time in Jamaica. “It doesn’t sounds good, don’t say it..” he says. However, he is relieved to learn there is no slavery connection.
It comes after Sam admits to Marvin that he knew “nothing” about his family history before taking part in the show.
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