Strictly's Janette Manrara 'baffled' at being judged for returning to work after giving birth
Manrara hosts It Takes Two alongside Fleur East.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.
As Strictly Come Dancing 2024 enters its closing stages, ex-Strictly professional dancer Janette Manrara and former finalist Fleur East, hosts of the BBC2 spin-off show It Takes Two, reflect on the series and returning to the glitterball game as new parents.
We're into the final weeks of Strictly — how would you sum up this series?
Janette: This year everyone has let their hair down. The celebrities are so funny and that’s rubbing off on the judges.
Fleur: Because it’s the 20th anniversary year, it feels like a big celebration.
Is it hard not to have favourites — especially for you, Janette, now your husband Aljaž is back as a professional?
Janette: The celebrities are the ones competing, not the pros. I just want Aljaž to do a good job. I’m so happy to see him back. I’ve cried – he belongs on that floor.
Fleur: You can’t have favourites because it’s so unpredictable. I could never say at the start who might win. Anyone can suddenly blow you away.
Chris McCausland is the first blind celebrity on Strictly. Are there any limits to who can compete on the show?
Janette: Anyone can move to music. Chris is fascinating and Dianne’s doing such a brilliant job guiding him, it makes my heart sing. Strictly has a massive platform and it makes a lot of people at home feel heard and seen.
Fleur: Yeah, we have an open door for anybody!
You have co-hosted It Takes Two for two series now — is it a dream job?
Fleur: We’re like the naughty kids who have to be separated because we giggle too much. It’s just as well we present different days.
Janette: We’re also both new mums. I’m struggling with Lyra’s sleep, and Fleur’s going through the same things. Lyra and [Fleur’s daughter] Nova met for the first time recently, which was cute!
How challenging is it to go back to work with young babies?
Janette: When Lyra was three months old, I was doing It Takes Two and touring the UK with Aljaž, so Lyra was on trains and in hotels and she was absolutely fine. There’s a baby room on Strictly if we need it, but Lyra goes to nursery on the days I'm filming.
Fleur: Nova had a nap in the Strictly baby room when we did our first show. It’s nice to know we can have them there with us.
You faced some negative comments for returning to work — was that hard to deal with?
Janette: I went back to Morning Live when Lyra was six weeks old and some people said, "You’re not setting a good example." It baffles me that we judge each other like that.
Fleur: You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Either you shouldn’t go to work and leave the kids at home, or you shouldn’t "just" be a mum.
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The Strictly Come Dancing final will air on Saturday 14th December on BBC One.
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