Strictly’s Janette Manrara shares 'emotional' moment over husband Aljaz Skorjanec’s return
EXCLUSIVE: Janette Manrara got candid as she shared her true feelings about Aljaz Skorjanec returning to Strictly as a pro.
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Series 24 of Strictly Come Dancing finally premiered on Saturday and saw the return of Aljaz Skorjanec.
The Slovenian dancer made his eagerly-awaited return to the dancefloor two years after his unexpected departure.
At the time, the father of one had starred on Strictly for almost a decade and revealed he took a break from the show after he found it difficult to come up with choreography ideas.
Aljaz told HELLO!: “It took longer to create numbers, it took longer to come up with songs that hadn’t been used, that I hadn’t used.”
Despite this, there were also reports that he agreed to leave the show after an incident with another dancer, which his representative denied.
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Away from screens, Aljaz was busy being a first-time dad to his baby daughter, Lyra, who he shares with his wife and It Takes Two co-host Janette Manrara.
During an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk, Janette revealed his return was “emotional” for her.
As she admitted: “Honestly, it’s emotional. Lyra and I came in to watch one of their group numbers get recorded.
“When she saw Aljaz on the floor and dancing and the lights of the studio, her eyes lit up and she was just so happy.”
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The ITV star continued: “I think more than that, Aljaz and I’s eyes lit up. He was just emotional knowing that his daughter and wife were there.
“It was such a full-circle moment because Strictly has been such an amazing part of our lives and for us, Strictly has only ever been a blessing.”
Janette added: “We joined the show together just dating, then we got engaged, then we got married and now we’ve got a little girl.
“We feel like our relationship and our family has really blossomed throughout the years with the show, so to bring her to the studio was amazing and now more. I get emotional even talking about it.”
The presenter added: “The more that Lyra and I will be sat at home on the couch watching daddy on telly, dancing, doing what he does best in this world is very surreal and very, very special.”
