Janette Manrara has been a huge presence on Strictly Come Dancing since her debut in 2013. The Cuban-American dancer, 40, has partnered EastEnders’ Jake Wood, Peter Andre and Dr Ranj Singh during her eight-year run as a professional on the iconic BBC dance show. Since her departure in 2021, she has hosted the spin-off show It Takes Two and BBC’s Morning Live.
Away from the cameras, Janette – who is mum to 13-month-old daughter Lyra with husband Aljaž Škorjanec – has published her first book, Tiny Dancer, Big World. She tells us more…
Hi Janette. How are you?
I’ve had a gym session, sauna and a very productive session of responding to emails with a protein shake. So I’m feeling like a superwoman right now!
You’re living your best life! So, what inspired Tiny Dancer, Big World?
I felt like turning 40 was a big milestone to write a book, but I’m not ready to write my autobiography. During lockdown, [Pussycat Doll and former Strictly contestant] Ashley Roberts suggested I take a Yale online course about the science of wellbeing. I enjoyed it so much, I took the second course afterwards. I’m a very deep person. I’m very inquisitive, very curious about soul and mind, who we are as people, and what makes us human.
You seem confident on screen and stage, yet you admitted to feeling a lack of self-confidence.
Massively. I wanted to be honest in the book and let people know that I’ve experienced hardship and imposter syndrome, no matter how much I am about happiness and joy. Life is not always rainbows and sunshine.
How has parenthood been for you?
Becoming a parent is such a transformative experience. To raise a child is quite challenging because there’s no rule book. I’m so career driven, and I’m a self-confessed workaholic and I have taken a step back to be more involved as Lyra’s mother. There are moments where I’m like, ‘Am I doing this right? How long should I let her nap for? Do I feed her in the middle of the night? Do I not feed her in the middle of night?’, all the questions every parent experiences. I’m still petrified to give her solids!
Aljaź is back at Strictly now, after leaving in 2022. How is it going?
I feel like a single mum at the moment, if I’m honest. Aljaž held the realm last year so I could work, hosting It Takes Two and the Strictly Live tour. It’s a massive puzzle, with Aljaž being back on Strictly, and planning is crucial. Aljaž’s schedule is hectic – it’s a seven-day-a-week job when you’re a professional on that show – and it’s going to be so intense once the series starts. Our priority is Lyra’s wellbeing, and finding time together as a family, despite how busy the schedule is going to be.
Are you excited for this year’s series?
I’m really excited to see Olympians, a Gladiator and really great names. That’s the best part about Strictly. You think somebody is going to do amazing and then the dark horses take your breath away the most.
Strictly has been immersed in drama. How can that not overshadow the show’s 20th anniversary?
First and foremost, by trying to close that chapter. The investigation on everything that’s been going on in both cases [with Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima] is very separate to the 20th anniversary celebration of Strictly Come Dancing, which is focusing on the last 20 years of joy and escapism the show has brought to viewers. With Aljaž back, that’s going to be tenfold.
How did you feel when Paralympian Will Bayley made those claims about his time on Strictly?[Janette’s former dance partner Will claimed he suffered a knee injury when she asked him to redo a jump after a ‘rubbish’ attempt, leaving him in constant pain].
It was hard for both of us to have to leave the competition in the way that we did. Nobody wants to have to leave the competition with an injury, especially when we were doing so well. So of course, he felt frustration, and there were massive repercussions that he had from everything that happened on Strictly. We are still great friends. When all that came out, we spoke directly to each other. We know in our hearts that we were an amazing team and had an incredible time together.
Are you living your dream life?
I feel really happy with where I am right now. I have a healthy daughter who is flourishing and growing and learning every day. She’s wondrous to me. I have a loving husband who’s my best friend and who I adore to bits. I’m doing what I love for work. I am 1,000 per cent living the dream life.
Is there anything else you would like to do?
Presenting is amazing, but I’m itching for the theatre again.
Do you dance with Lyra?
I do. She had her first ever baby ballet class yesterday. I cried on the way there. She looks so cute with her tutu and tiny leg warmers. She loved it. Aljaž came as well. We danced together.
‘Tiny Dancer, Big World: How To Find Fulfilment From The Inside Out’ by Janette Manrara is out on 12 September (William Collins, £18.99 hardback)