They are one of the last remaining professional couples who are still married, and while many of the Strictly Come Dancing pro dancers have fallen victim to the so-called curse, Aljaz Skorjanec and Janette Manrara have revealed their marriage will not be tested. The couple, who wed in 2017 after a two-year engagement, have called the hit BBC show a "blessing" rather than something that ends relationships. "Strictly changed our lives," Janette told Weekend Magazine. "People talk of the Strictly Curse, but we see it as a blessing.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Strictly couple joined the show in 2013
"It's where we fell in love. I think people like that we're a real couple. And so many strong relationships have come out of the show." Referencing other stars who have found love on the dancefloor, she added: "Look at Gorka Marquez and Gemma Atkinson, Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev, and Joe Sugg and Dianne Buswell. Why focus on the negatives?"
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Aljaz, who won the show in 2013 alongside model Abbey Clancy, confessed that it took him one year before he could convince Janette to go out with him. "We were rehearsing separately at a studio in Fulham and one day I walked into a room and Janette caught my eye," he said. "It took me a year to convince her to go on a date with me, a year in which we both signed to Strictly, and we've never looked back."
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Then two years later, the 29-year-old dancer plucked up the courage to pop the question. He shared: "For the proposal, I went back to the studio and asked the manager to have You And I by Michael Bublé ready, which was playing when I first set eyes on Janette. I told her we were going to see my friend Alesha Dixon do a showcase there, and there might be photographers so she should wear something nice." The star continued: "When we arrived I led Janette to the back room and, as we entered, You And I started playing. She turned around and I was on one knee with the ring. Tears were streaming down my face and she started crying too."
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Asked whether it fazes her that Aljaz is seen as a national heartthrob, Janette replied: "Absolutely. I find it a compliment. I’m proud of Aljaz and I pick up some of the kudos. Other women might lust after him but I’m the one who’s got him!" Janettte is currently dancer with Kelvin Fletcher on the nationwide tour, before the pair hit the road on a 36-date tour in March with their show Remembering The Oscars.
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