Janette Manrara reveals Strictly co-stars were mean to her over lack of experience

Janette - who is married to Strictly pro Aljaz Skorjanec - joined the BBC show for series 11 in 2013

Janette Manrara heard "whispers" from other Strictly Come Dancing professionals that she wouldn't "do well" on the show.

The 40-year-old dancer and host of sister show It Takes Two has claimed she started doubting her abilities when she found out her colleagues and people "behind the scenes" at the scandal-hit BBC One show were allegedly gossiping about her lack of Ballroom Latin experience.

Recalling her early years on Strictly at the launch of her book Tiny Dancer, Big World, she is quoted by Metro.co.uk as saying: "It was my first year on Strictly, I really wanted the job. I didn't think I would ever get the job because I didn't compete in Ballroom Latin. I didn't have all the titles that the rest of the dancers had on the show. So when I actually got the job, I thought, 'My gosh, this is the best thing in the world.'"

Janette - who is married to Strictly pro Aljaz Skorjanec - joined the BBC show for series 11 in 2013 and was partnered with fashion designer Julien Macdonald.

She went on: "With Aljaz, at the time we were just dating. So I thought, 'Gosh, we can stay together. Of course, I'm gonna say yes.' Then when it started, Julien, who's here, was my first partner ever on the show. He's still my friend.'"

She went on: "I always felt I knew I could dance and I knew I could teach, and I knew I could choreograph, I know I can. But when you get put on that level of exposure with everyone waiting for you to fail, because I had heard whispers from other professionals and other people behind the scenes, 'She's never going to do well. She's going to be awful. She's not even a Ballroom Latin dancer. How is she ever going to do this?'"

'And it was just like, I started believing it. I started believing 'I don't know if I can do this'.""

Janette says her now-spouse had a completely different start to his Strictly career and admits she feared she would be dropped because she was "not good enough".

She said: "Aljaz coming on the same year as I did, being the hottest man on the show, and getting Abbey Clancy, who was phenomenal, she could do anything that woman. He had such a different trajectory than I did."

"It was hard, because I thought, I'm not good enough. I'm not going to survive this show. I can't teach a celebrity, clearly I'm not a good enough choreographer. All those things really kicked in, and I just felt like I wasn't enough, and I was ready for the next year to get the phone call that I'm not coming back, because I just assumed that was the case."

Janette stepped down as a dancer on the show which has been under investigation amid accusations of bullying in 2021 to replace Zoe Ball on BBC Two's It Takes Two, which she co-hosted with Rylan Clark before he was replaced by Fleur East.

It comes as Janette revealed she won't be rooting for husband Aljaz this series, as her role as host on It Takes Two means 'no favourites' are allowed.

Gracing The One Show with her presence alongside Fleur, the pair were quizzed by hosts Alex Scott and Roman Kemp about Aljaz's return. Janette made an unexpected disclosure when asked by Roman: "Janette, I know someone you'll be cheering on. Aljaz, of course. Is it nice to see him back out there?"

To which Janette responded: "It is incredible to see him back on the show, but I'll be honest, I am not allowed favourites as host of It Takes Two, so I'm going to be looking at him the same way as I look any other professional and celebrity on the show."

She added, delightedly mentioning the couple's daughter: "It is nice to have him on the telly." And in an emotional moment she shared: "I tell you it was really nice to watch him with Lyra. I had tears in my eyes because it was just so special to sit with our daughter, watching Daddy on the telly doing what he loves to do. It was amazing."

Aljaz is set to make a sensational return to the Strictly Come Dancing dance floor, and he's not alone, as professional dancer Amy Dowden also gears up for her comeback after her cancer fight. During a chat with Roman Kemp, Janette praised Amy: "Amy is such an incredible woman, she has had Crohn's her whole life and she's dealt with that then she had to battle cancer, but she never gave up pushing and pushing and trying to get back onto that dance floor."

Janette continued, highlighting Amy's passion for dance: "She's meant to dance, she was born to dance, so for her to be able to come back and come back with a bang, this number was phenomenal. It is so special to have her back when every single person on the show is so excited."

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