After eight years lighting up the Strictly Come Dancing floor, Janette Manrara is waltzing away from the show that made her a household name. And, as she looks forward to a new career as a presenter on its spin-off show, she's also contemplating another role altogether.
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Janette, 37, has made no secret of her desire to become a mother and she hopes that stepping down from her physically demanding role as a Strictly pro will allow her and husband Aljaz Skorjanec, 31, a fellow dancer on the show, to fulfill that dream.
WATCH: Janette announces her big presenting news LIVE
"Starting a family is something we have been talking about for a while now and dancing was something I really had to think about when it came to making any kind of decision, " she told HELLO! in an exclusive interview, her first since she announced she's to replace Zoe Ball as presenter of Strictly: It Takes Two.
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"The level of pressure that comes with being a professional on Strictly has now been lifted from my life, so I feel like I can breathe now when it comes to starting a family. We definitely want to be parents and this has given us an opportunity to really take a look at that part of our lives and see what we can do moving forward. "
© Photo: Getty ImagesJanette also revealed how her husband reacted to the news
While her new job is a dream come true, she says her decision to quit Strictly left her in floods of tears.
"It feels like the most perfect next step in my life but it's bittersweet because it means that I'm not going to be doing Strictly anymore and I cried a lot," she admitted.
Janette was at members' club Soho House earlier this month when she received the life-changing phone call offering her the job on It Takes Two.
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"I started screaming, my knees buckled, my heart started pounding and tears rolled down my face, " she recalled. "I was just so over the moon. Of course, the first person I called was Aljaz. He was just the happiest, proudest husband ever. He knew how much this means to me. I'm so excited and I'm still in shock, because it all happened so quickly."
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