Motsi Mabuse was terrorised by racist nuns while growing up in South Africa.
Motsi Mabuse has opened up about the racist abuse she suffered at school.
The 41-year-old 'Strictly Come Dancing' star and her younger sisters Phemelo and Oti grew up in a Black suburb of Pretoria and she's revealed they all suffered abuse from their teachers after enrolling at a Catholic school - revealing the nuns in charge branded them "Black witches".
She told Prima magazine: "I lived under apartheid until the age of nine, which was a very scary time. My parents, Peter and Dudu, and my younger sisters, Phemelo and Oti, and I lived in a Black-only suburb, and I didn't speak English when I first went to school, which was difficult.
"We were sent to a Catholic school run by nuns and Black children were a minority. One of the nuns would call us ''Black witches'' and hit us. I was terrified."
Motsi went on to reveal she was inspired to take up dance after her mother started offering "Jane Fonda-type workout classes" to women in their township and later set up a dance school for children.
She went on: "Although my father wanted me to be a lawyer, like him, I started training, eventually dedicating every spare minute to it.
"I loved the freedom it gave me, and being able to express myself through my body."
Motsi previously worked on 'Strictly' with her sister Oti, who revealed earlier this year she won't be returning for the 2022 season.
The judge has now insisted it will be a strange show without her sibling on the dance floor. Motsi added: "I'll be sad not to see her on Strictly this year. I'll always worry about my sister, but I have to respect her decision and let her go.
"She's proven that she can more than protect herself and push herself to new heights. Meanwhile, I'll continue to fly the Mabuse flag on Strictly for as long as they want me."