Janette Manrara recently marked a special milestone for her daughter Lyra, who she shares with her husband, fellow dancer Aljaz Skorjanec.
On Wednesday, the couple enjoyed another special day, when they spent time with their former Strictly co-star Neil Jones, his fiancée Chyna Mills and their baby girl, Havana, who they welcomed last October.
Sharing a heart-melting series of photos on Instagram that showed Lyra and Havana sitting together and smiling at each other, Janette wrote: "Lots of baby love today w/ these guys".
The pictures come a few days after the star took to social media at the weekend to reflect on her difficult journey to motherhood. Posting in honour of Mother's Day, the It Takes Two presenter described her baby daughter Lyra as her "little miracle".
She posted a photo showing Lyra dressed in a cute white ruffled dress, ballet slippers and a bow in her hair as she sat on the sofa and looked directly at the camera with her big dark eyes, much like her mother Janette's.
The performer captioned the snap: "Happy Mother's Day from our little Lyra to all the incredible mums out there. We count our blessings every day to have her in our lives. Our own little miracle."
The professional dancer, 40, has previously admitted she had been trying for a baby with her husband Aljaz Skorjanec, 34, "for the past couple of years," and planned to start IVF treatment when "nothing was happening."
© InstagramMuch to the couple's delight, Lyra was conceived naturally shortly before Janette began treatment, which she knew would be "strenuous" on her body. "We thought IVF was the next best thing for us to do," Janette explained in an interview with HELLO! during her pregnancy.
"The doctor said that as soon as I got my period we would start injections, but my period never came. I know that IVF can be really strenuous on a woman’s body and there is no guarantee it will work, so to know that this little miracle just came from a wonderful night we had together is amazing. I think the baby decided to make Mum and Dad panic a bit before saying, 'OK, fine, I’m coming up now.'"
© InstagramJanette and Aljaz – who had three weddings in 2017 – welcomed their first baby on 28 July 2023 at London’s Portland Hospital. "It was the most perfect day," Janette said as she introduced Lyra to the world in her first photoshoot.
"We had a playlist, and Aljaz and I had a little slow dance before we went into theatre. All morning we had been humming the song Little Bitty Pretty One and that was the song we chose for her to be born to.
© Brett Cove/SOPA Images/Shutterstock"There was a screen over my tummy, but as she came out, the doctors offered to drop it so I could watch. "It was literally like a cue to a performance: the music started, the curtain dropped and out she came, onto the stage of life.
"It was the most beautiful, emotional moment; Aljaz and I were both crying. We were in heaven."
