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hamza jowita glitterball© Photo: BBC

Strictly star Janette Manrara reveals why the three new pros made it to finale 

Janette opened up about the newcomers making the finale on their first try! 

Emmy Griffiths
TV & Film Editor
December 20, 2022
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Another year, another Glitterball trophy lifted - but 2022 did see a change in Strictly Come Dancing’s tradition as for the first time, three first-time dancing pros on the show found themselves in the finale - with just Gorka Marquez being a seasoned dancer on the show. 

READ: Dianne Buswell melts hearts with wedding photo

Vito Coppola, Carlos Gu and Jowita Przystał were all new to the series, with Jowita making history at the first woman pro to win in her first series - but how did the newcomers all manage to make it into the final?

WATCH: Janette breaks down wins and disappointments in our Strictly Insider

Strictly's Janette Manrara on Gorka's disappointment in finale | INSIDER | HELLO!

Chatting to HELLO!, Janette Manrara shared her theory of why they made it all the way to the end of the show, saying: "Fresh blood! I think they come, all of them come from directly that big competitive dance world where competition is intense. They just came from that so it’s fresh in their minds with that world of training and teaching and dancing and competition and sweating and sore muscles.

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"They’re eager beavers, they want to impress. It’s a different world on Strictly, I think they definitely - from what I’ve heard from our chats with all of them - there’s a lot to learn still. The TV world and showbiz are very different from the competitive world. But in saying that, because they’re such phenomenal competitors, that’s why they fought so hard on this show and got as far as they did." 

carlos molly© Photo: BBC

Molly and Carlos made it to the final

She concluded: "In saying that, every single professional on this show is equally as good as the other. Sometimes you have amazing partnerships that just click and work so well together." 

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