janette manrara aljaz sara exit

Exclusive: Janette Manrara responds after Aljaz Skorjanec raises concerns he's set to quit Strictly

The professional dancer is a BBC favourite

Deputy Online Editor
November 15, 2021

Janette Manrara was quick to reassure Strictly Come Dancing fans that her husband Aljaz Skorjanec is not leaving the show.

MORE: Aljaz Skorjanec and Sara Davies break silence after Strictly exit

Speaking to HELLO! on this week's Strictly Insider, the It Takes Two host revealed "there have been no discussions" despite what recent reports suggest. "He's not, there have been no discussions about that," she clarified.

WATCH: Janette Manrara joins HELLO! Insider to share her thoughts on week eight

On Sunday evening, viewers were left worried when Aljaz became emotional after he and dance partner Sara Davies were voted out. In his exit speech, many believed he was hinting that he was leaving the show for good.

MORE: Rose Ayling-Ellis hails Giovanni Pernice after silent dance routine leaves fans in tears

SEE: The Strictly professionals' romantic wedding and engagement photos

"You have been an absolute joy, a testament to hard work. Thank you for letting me spend so much time not just with you but the whole family," he said, adding: "I'm going to miss you so much, I'm going to miss dancing you, I'm going to miss everything about the show."

His doting wife, Janette, then reiterated: "I think he probably meant that he was just leaving this series, leaving this exact series of the show. He's just loved it so so much.

© Photo: BBC

Sara and Aljaz were sad to say goodbye to the show

"When you leave that late in the competition, you just feel that bit harder than you do when it's earlier in the competition. So no worries for the fans."

READ: How Strictly's Aljaz Skorjanec and wife Janette Manrara get through 'thick and thin'

Asked what she thought about sending Aljaz and Sara home instead of Tilly Ramsay and Nikita Kuzmin, a non-biased Janette explained: "The judges made their choice, and they are there for their expert opinion."

She added: "This year's leaderboard has been completely flipped upside down, different results each week. Every weekend, you're going to get a different couple at the top and a different couple at the bottom which then makes it tricky for anyone who sits in the middle.

"Being in the grey area, in the middle, is a very dangerous place to be in the competition – you don't know how the votes will go, which is what happened to Sara and Aljaz."

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