Aljaz Skorjanec and Janette Manrara have successfully avoided the Strictly Come Dancing curse for 14 years – instead, the professional dancers have created a happy family
The Strictly Come Dancing curse looks to have struck again, with 2024 contestant Tasha Ghouri having split from Andrew Le Page following her stint on the show.
Tasha, 26, and Andrew, 29, had seemed inseparable after leaving the Love Island villa in 2022, with recent rumours suggesting they were engaged.
But sadly it’s all over for the pair a month after Tasha reached the final of Strictly with Aljaz Skorjanec. Thankfully, the professional dancer hasn’t been struck by the so-called curse himself – he is loved up with Janette Manrara, ex-Strictly pro turned It Takes Two host.
It was love at first sight for Aljaz when he met Janette at London studios Dance Attic in 2010. Janette had previously dated former Strictly pros Artem Chigvintsev and Pasha Kovalev. But while they were short lived romances, this time it was the real deal.
The couple went onto star in US live dance show Burn the Floor before their romance turned long-distance, with Aljaž based back home in Slovenia and Janette in LA. In 2013, they were reunited in London when they bagged coveted spots on Strictly.
Aljaz proposed in 2015, getting down on one knee at the dance studios where they first met. Their wedding came two years later, with Janette’s former celebrity dance partner Julien Macdonald creating her dream, Audrey Hepburn inspired, wedding dress.
Anton Du Beke, Oti Mabuse, Katya Jones, and Kevin Clifton were among the Strictly stars in attendance at the London ceremony and they went onto have two more, one with Aljaz’s family in Slovenia and the final one in Miami with Janette’s loved ones.
Aljaz included a special wedding vow for Disney superfan Janette, promising to take her to her favourite place every year and he has kept his promise so far, with the exception of a year skipped due to Covid. Janette said the couple “fell in love all over again” during the pandemic and in 2023 they had a “miracle” baby daughter, Lyra.
Janette broke the news on Instagram, in black-and-white pictures where she is seen cradling her newborn. The Strictly It Takes Two host Janette had previously spoken of struggling to conceive as she approached 40, saying: “For the past couple of years we hadn’t been using protection but nothing was happening, so we thought IVF was the next best thing for us to do.”
The family of three live in Cheshire and Aljaž’s respect for his wife grew during her pregnancy. “The struggles some people go through to fall pregnant – I’m just amazed by women,” he said. “I’ve found a complete new respect for my beautiful little Janette, who I love more than anything. It’s a little miracle how we got here.”
“I absolutely love it,” the dancer told OK! Magazine of fatherhood. “I went shopping the other day because I needed a new pair of trousers and I thought to myself: ‘This is probably the first time in a couple of months that I’ve actually gone to the shop for me’ because my whole world is about Lyra – it’s not about me any more.
“I have a lot of childish energy, I don’t think I’ll ever grow up. So, at the moment, myself and Lyra are actually really compatible – she sees me and she goes crazy.”
