Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Curse? Strictly HELPED us wed
Pro dancer says hit BBC show has been ‘a blessing’
MUCH has been made of the ‘Strictly curse’, but Janette Manrara reckons she has the show to thank for her marriage to pro dancer Aljaz Skorjanec.
Before the pair joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2013, they were facing a tricky long-distance relationship, with Janette in the US and Aljaz in his native Slovenia.
They had met three years earlier in New York while performing in Burn the Floor on Broadway.
But after touring the world with the show, they had to try to keep their love alive over two continents.
Janette, 37, says: “He was back in Slovenia and I was in Los Angeles. It would have been really tough with the huge time difference.
“But luckily, Strictly came along and offered a spot as professional dancers and that was the biggest blessing of our whole relationship.
“The show was a massive part of us staying together and getting married. I’d like to presume we would have got married no matter what because we’re soulmates, but I think Strictly made it so much easier for us to stay together and for our romance to really flourish.” But Janette admits it is not always easy to spend time together. Last year, the couple had to live apart for the duration of the show due to Covid restrictions.
And after reaching the final with singer HRVY last year, Janette made the switch from dancer to presenter, replacing Zoe Ball as co-host of spin-off show Strictly: It Takes Two. Aljaz, meanwhile, is currently spending most of his time in Newcastle for training sessions with his celeb dance partner, Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Sara Davies.
Janette says: “In previous years Aljaz and I were both always busy with our celeb partners, but we both have very different jobs now so I miss him a lot more than normal.
“We talk a lot. Before anything, Aljaz is my friend. We have an open and trusting communication about everything. We have date nights as often as we can and we try not to talk too much about work at home.”
Cuban-american Janette, who grew up in Miami, started performing in musical theatre aged 12. But she has noticed another change since she moved into presenting.
“When I was dancing, I didn’t really watch what I ate because I was doing so much cardio,” she says. “Now I have to be really careful. It’s really inter
Your body can change quickly when you stop doing something JANETTE MANRARA ON LIFE AFTER STRICTLY
esting to see how quickly your body can change when you stop doing something you used to do all the time. I’ve had to make really big changes to my diet.” The upside of her new job is co-host, Rylan Clark. Janette says: “Rylan’s the nicest man. I leave him little notes and presents.”
But she admits she does miss her old job. She says: “I miss being creative, sore muscles, achy feet.” After the current series, Aljaz
will take her to Disneyworld, as she made him vow to do every year when they wed in 2017. The couple are also touring with their dance show, Remembering the Oscars, and she has plans for them to be the next Richard and Judy-style presenting team.
Janette says: “Aljaz and I did a podcast and we absolutely loved it, so presenting together… that would be a dream.”