Kelvin & Oti: What’s really going on?
The series and tour might be over, but curse rumours are louder than ever
‘Eliza told him that enough was enough’
By some miracle, Strictly season appeared to come and go curse-free last year – a first for the BBC show. But three months later, we’ve been left questioning whether we were we too naïve.
Last week, series winners Kelvin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse found themselves at the centre of controversy, after being spotted making two late-night visits to two hotels together in as many days. First, Kelvin – who’s been busy travelling up and down the country on the Strictly tour over the past month – was pictured with Oti at 3.30am, heading into London’s Soho Sanctum hotel, where they joined other Strictly celebs and pro dancers for drinks. They apparently both left alone, but reconvened the following night at the Lincoln Plaza Hotel in London for another drinking sesh.
The story might have stopped there, but Kelvin’s wife Eliza Marsland added to the rumours when she unfollowed the actor on Instagram after his nightcap with Oti, who wasn’t on the Strictly tour due to filming The Greatest Dancer. Eliza was then spotted taking out a bag of clothes without her wedding ring on – prompting even more speculation into the state of their five-year marriage, before being pictured kissing in a display of unity. According to a source, the actress – who has daughter Marnie, three, and son Milo, one, with Kelvin – unfollowed him after getting fed up of seeing photos of him out on the town. “She told him that enough was enough and deleted him from social media because she didn’t want to look at the pictures,” an insider reported, adding that, while Kelvin’s told Eliza she has nothing to worry about, the family have been rocked by the stories. Kelvin reportedly told friends he was “furious that his honour [is] being questioned”, and that he has Uber receipts to prove he left after one drink.
All parties have done their best to quash speculation. In an interview, Kelvin said he was “bewildered” by the attention, insisting “everything is amazing”. He added, “I’m sure it will all blow over.” Eliza also responded to the outcry over her missing wedding ring, telling followers, “That ring is heavy. It only comes out on special occasions! Oh, and it was fake tan day. #Nodramahere”. Meanwhile, Oti stepped out smiling with her dancer husband Marius Lepure.
Still, it’s not the first time the Strictly champs have been hit by rumours. As heat told you last year, Oti was reportedly “furious” with Kelvin for igniting “curse” gossip about their partnership, after he skipped his and Eliza’s anniversary to keep training. Oti was said to have hated the idea that people would be whispering about what might be happening between them – which makes us wonder how she’s feeling after last week’s stories. ■