BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Oti Mabuse supported as she tells of 'ups and downs' since daughter's arrival

Oti Mabuse has been flooded with supportive messages as she admitted to experiencing the ups and downs' of motherhood as she marked six months since her daughter's early arrival into the world.

The former Strictly Come Dancing star announced she and her husband Marius Lepure had become first-time parents on Christmas Day. They took to Instagram with an adorable photo in which they wore matching festive pyjamas as they gazed lovingly at their baby girl alongside their beloved pet dog, Leo.

Oti later told how their daughter, whose name hasn't been shared publically, had actually born prematurely in October. "She was very premature, she came really, really early - unexpected premature which was a big, big shock," she told Giovanna Fletcher on her podcast, Happy Mum Happy Baby.

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Oti later discussed the difficult birth on This Morning, sharing how she developed sepsis meaning her daughter - who was born two months early - was at risk of being infected when she was born.. "She was in the NICU for about six weeks, she came two months early, which was totally unexpected," the new mum said.

"And actually I gave birth at the UCLH, it was so amazing the NHS and I've said this so many times. I don't usually get sick so I'm never usually in hospital and so I never really have to use the NHS that much but then I really needed them and they were incredible. We were taken care of so much."

She went on to add that she initially did not want to go public about her little girl's arrival and her ordeal. "The whole process, to go through it was something