6 • The Sunday Times Magazine
Aljaz
I remember the first time I saw Janette like it was
yesterday. I went to a dance studio in Fulham to audition
for a touring theatre show called Burn the Floor. Janette
was already part of the company and I walked into the
room and locked eyes on her straight away. It was love
at first sight and from that moment on impressing her
became just as important to me as getting into the show.
The first thing that struck me was her beauty but I
was blown away by her talent too. She is one of the most
expressive dancers that I have ever seen. Very early on,
before we were even dating, I told her I was going to
marry her one day, but it took me a long time to
convince her to go out with me. After a year of being
friends she eventually agreed, and our first date was in
LA on a night off from the show. I had been ready to
wait for her for as long as she needed, but that was the
beginning of our romantic journey together.
We were on a permanent honeymoon for two and a
half years as we toured the world with Burn the Floor to
so many amazing places. Then while we were working
in the West End we both got offered Strictly, so we
entered this incredible experience together for the 2013
season. At the time I was the youngest professional
dancer Strictly had employed [aged 23] and so the
responsibility felt huge to join such a massive show.
From the beginning we always choreographed our
routines for Strictly together. Even though we were
competing and had our own celebrity partners, we’d
always help each other. There’s never been any
competition between us. The first waltz I danced with
my partner [the model] Abbey Clancy in 2013 I
choreographed with Janette in the little kitchen of the
rented flat where we lived at the time. Winning the
show that year with Abbey meant the attention on
Janette and me as a couple multiplied massively from
what we were used to. It is annoying that people still talk
about a “Strictly curse” on couples because, if anything,
Strictly just made our relationship even more solid.
I proposed to Janette in the dance studio where we
first met. Our song, You and I by Michael Bublé, was
playing when I went down on one knee. After she said
yes we slow danced for 30 minutes with it on repeat.
We ended up having three different weddings: a huge
one in London for our Strictly family, one in Slovenia
with my family and one in Malibu with hers, so that our
grandparents could be there. It was basically a three-
week wedding tour party. I love how well she gets along
with my family and I love hers too. As soon as there is a
remote Latin rhythm her whole family gets up to dance.
It’s her Cuban blood. I rarely dance socially because
I actually get really self-conscious about dancing at a
club. I’m a shy guy and prefer socialising at the bar with
a cheeky gin and tonic while she hits the floor.
When you dance with someone you have extra
special care for it makes every step more meaningful.
We once performed a beautiful rumba in a packed
Royal Albert Hall to music from an 80-piece orchestra
for the BBC Proms. For four and a half minutes it was
just the two of us on stage.
I’ve missed her tremendously on the Strictly
dancefloor this year [Janette now presents the spin-off
show It Takes Two]. Not just as my wife, but as one of
the most inspirational professional dancers on the show.
I am so proud of how amazing she is on It Takes Two,“At first we underestimated the
degree to which our relationship
would be put in the spotlight”
Aljaz Skorjanec &
Janette Manrara
The Strictly stars on love at first sight and why they’re not afraid of the show’s notorious “curse”
Main: Aljaz, 31, and
Janette, 38, at
Dance Attic Studios
in Fulham, where
Aljaz proposed in- Right: dancing
on the launch show
for series 17 of
Strictly in 2019
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