Latest news with #AljažŠkorjanec
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Strictly star pulls out of live show just hours before going on stage after becoming ‘unwell'
Strictly star pulls out of live show just hours before going on stage after becoming 'unwell' Strictly Come Dancing professional Janette Manrara was forced to pull out of a live show on Wednesday just hours before she was due on stage. Manrara, who competed as a professional dancer on Strictly from 2013 until 2020, is currently starring in a UK tour of the musical Chicago, where she plays the character Roxie Hart. At the time of writing, the production is in the middle of six nights at Blackpool's Winter Gardens. However, Manrara was forced to pull out of Wednesday's show (23 July) as she was too 'unwell' to perform. In a statement shared on Instagram, the 41-year-old wrote: 'It takes a lot for me to miss a show, so to anyone coming to Blackpool tonight, I am deeply sorry. ADVERTISEMENT 'I am unwell and must rest to recover quickly and be back on stage. The cast is absolutely phenomenal, so the show will be as magical as it always is.' Manrara ended the message by clarifying that she is 'on the mend' and hopes to be back on stage soon. Janette Manrara's statement on Instagram (Janette Manrara/Instagram) Manrara quit being a professional dancer in 2021 and now co-presents the Strictly talk show It Takes Two with Fleur East. She married fellow Strictly professional Aljaž Škorjanec in 2017. Their daughter, Lyra, was born in July 2023. The professional dancers met in 2010 while performing in the live dance show Burn the Floor, and they wed seven years later. They starred alongside one another on the BBC's ballroom dancing competition for many years before Manrara stepped down to take her presenting role. After a two-year hiatus, Škorjanec returned to Strictly for the 2024 edition of the show, where he was partnered with Love Island star Tasha Ghouri. ADVERTISEMENT While Manrara said she enjoyed seeing her husband perform on the series, she insisted that she would remain impartial in her job as the presenter of Strictly's official companion show. Janette Manrara and Aljaž Škorjanec (Getty Images) 'It is incredible to see him back on the show, but I'll be honest, I am not allowed favourites as host of It Takes Two, so I'm going to be looking at him the same way as I look at any other professional and celebrity on the show,' she told The One Show in September 2024. Manrara also reflected on watching the show with their daughter, saying in an emotional moment: 'I tell you it was really nice to watch him with Lyra. I had tears in my eyes because it was just so special to sit with our daughter, watching Daddy on the telly doing what he loves to do. It was amazing.'
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Strictly Come Dancing star is forced to pull out of live show hours before taking to the stage
Strictly Come Dancing star Janette Manrara revealed she has been forced to pull out of a live show just hours before taking to the stage on Wednesday. The professional dancer is currently starring in the UK tour of Chicago and was due to perform at Blackpool's Winter Gardens. But taking to Instagram to share a statement, Janette apologised to fans as she revealed she was 'unwell' and unable to perform. She wrote: 'It takes a lot for me to miss a show, so to anyone coming to Blackpool tonight, I am deeply sorry. 'I am unwell and must rest to recover quickly and be back on stage. 'The cast is absolutely phenomenal so the show will be as magical as it always is. 'I'm on the mend now and hoping to be back ASAP. Love you all, Jxxx.' She told the Blackpool Gazette: 'Blackpool's one of my favourite places in the UK. We go there every year with Strictly and it always lands around my birthday, so I've celebrated more birthdays there than anywhere else. 'Normally, I'm here in November, so to explore it in July is a real treat. I definitely want to take the cast to the Tower for afternoon tea and a dance. 'I've told them they have to see the ballroom with the big organ.' It comes after Janette opened up about her 'struggles' over being away from daughter Lyra and said she had 'never wanted to be home more' amid her 'manic' schedule. The It Takes Two host, who shares the two-year-old with husband and fellow show dancer Aljaž Škorjanec, 35, has been busy hosting Strictly's Live tour, starring in a production of musical Chicago and will soon embark on a string of shows with her husband. Speaking about her worries she told The Mirror: 'So it was more about Lyra. Is she going to be okay? Is she going to be at home? Is she going to be with Aljaz? What's the plan with Lyra?'. 'Although I am still doing those things, I have had to really kind of consider the schedule and while this year is manic, I've never wanted to be home more now she's in my life. I want to be home now more than ever'. Janette also said she had her 'fingers crossed' to return as host of the Strictly spin-off alongside Fleur East as the job gave her more time at home, while Aljaz rehearsed with his celeb partner. She told the publication: 'If I'm back, I'll have It Takes Two two or three days a week and then the rest of the time I can be at home with Lyra. That's like my time to be mummy!''. Last month Janette wiped away tears in an emotional Instagram post, as she prepared to bid farewell to her husband and their daughter. She joined the touring cast for the musical Chicago and was heading to Ireland for a string of shows, after her performances at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Janette then headed to Belfast for shows at the Grand Opera House. The star had previously shared that she won't see Aljaz or Lyra for those two weeks, and instead they're planning to spend time with his family in Slovenia. In a video posted on her Instagram Stories, Janette revealed she had bid farewell to her family ahead of her tour shows, and shared a message for other working parents. She said: 'Hi gang. Just said my goodbyes to Aljaž and Lyra, and I won't see them for two weeks now but sharing is good because it makes us all feel better. 'And I miss them a lot. It's the longest I'll be away from Lyra so just starting to count down to the day I see her again.' 'But in the mean time, I'm gonna stay strong and know that mommy is making her proud. And she is gonna have the best time with her cousins and her nan in Slovenia. 'Anyways, to all the parents that have to say goodbye to their kids for work or for whatever reason, it's always tough but we've got this! We've got it.' Alongside the clip, Janette shared another message for her followers, writing: 'It always makes me feel better to share. Hope this also helps other working parents out there. It's hard but we got this.'
Telegraph
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Kate Silverton on moving to the Cotswolds: ‘I didn't want to be surrounded by brick buildings anymore'
Kate Silverton trained as a journalist and was formerly a regular newsreader and presenter for the BBC. In 2018, she took part in Strictly Come Dancing, and she and her partner Aljaž Škorjanec finished in eighth place. She left her TV career to retrain, and became a qualified child therapist in 2023. Last year, she and her family left their home in London to move to the Cotswolds. Where do you live? Last summer, we moved to a village in Gloucestershire, in the Cotswolds. My husband Mike and I, and our two children, Clemency, 13, and Wilbur, 10, had been living in west London for years. There's no denying it was a massive step – a little bit like turning an oil tanker around very slowly. But it was something that I'd been dreaming about for a long time, even before I decided I wanted to retrain as a child therapist. I kept saying to Mike: 'I don't want to be surrounded by brick buildings any more.' Initially, we started looking all over the place, even abroad, but when we found this Arts and Crafts house in the Cotswolds, the garden literally had me at hello. The previous owner, a wonderful lady called Joan, was a passionate gardener, so we inherited this large south-facing garden, which has a wonderful, dreamy English cottage garden feel about it. Her pale pink roses alone were a sight to behold. The garden had everything I'd ever imagined. How did it compare to your garden in London? We had a tiny garden at the back of our London home, where the sun would disappear after three o'clock. If I tell you we had a hammock that stretched from one corner to the other, you get an idea of how small it was. But we did squeeze in a tiny greenhouse where I made a half-decent attempt at being green-fingered to make the front look nice. But I confess, we did have fake grass, which was awful. Now, just walking across our new lawn of real grass is one of my greatest pleasures. One thing we never had room for in London was a proper outdoor table and chairs, so I was beside myself with excitement when we finally got them. Even in February, Mike and I were sitting outside drinking coffee in our poncho blankets. How are you finding life in the Cotswolds? When we came here, it was with the intention of immersing ourselves in every part of the garden and embracing the local community. We've already got to know lots of people, many of whom are happy to share their knowledge of the landscape. We have a small woodland area, and I've just got off the phone to a lady who's going to teach me how to coppice. She's also going to show the children how to whittle spoons. We really want the kids to have that climbing-trees-and-muddy-knees experience, but I also appreciate little things, like walking barefoot across the Village Common with Clemency when I've picked her up from school. One thing we always did with the kids when we were in London was to go camping, and one of the first things we did when we arrived here was put up our bell tent on the lawn. It was magical. On a deeper level, why do you think being outside is so important? In today's world, it's so easy to get overstimulated by technology and disconnected from the natural world. People often say they get a sense of well-being by spending time in the garden, that they find it deeply regulating in some way. And there's a scientific reason for that. From a neuroscience perspective, I now understand that anything with a repetitive or rhythmic pattern is very soothing for the brainstem, which connects the brain with the spinal cord and is an essential part of the nervous system. So, I truly think that a garden is your nervous system's best friend. What have you been enjoying in the garden this year? In January, we had the end of the hellebores and the start of the snowdrops, then rows of daffodils, followed by blossom that filled our small apple orchard where the hammock hangs. Now I look around and see bluebells, irises, forget-me-nots and tulips, while the scent of the white wisteria climbing the house hangs in the air… something I've always wanted. Every day, I see something new, and a week doesn't go by without me hugging a tree. I've also been planting things with the children; we sowed lots of sunflower seeds and have one pumpkin on the way, which is terribly exciting. Only this morning, I was looking at the runner beans and picked our first spring onions. We've also started using wool pellets as a natural slug deterrent, and they seem to be working. Where did you first get your love of the outdoors? Growing up in Essex, we had a very small garden, and the only connection I had with it was through my pet tortoise, Rupert. As a little girl, I was a voracious reader, and one of my main introductions to nature was through children's adventure books by authors such as Enid Blyton. Joining the Girl Guides and doing their outside activities was also a huge influence on me – I was even given the Queen's Guide Award. As I got a bit older, I loved authors like Wilbur Smith, whose descriptions of the African landscape left a great impression on me. In my late teens, I went off travelling to Africa, where some of my fondest memories are of sleeping under the stars. How did you get involved with the Chelsea Flower Show? I started going to the show a few years ago and, through the RHS, got involved in Project Giving Back, which was set up by two private philanthropists to support a range of good causes. Not only have they funded gardens at Chelsea since 2022, but they have ensured that every single garden has had a permanent home afterwards. This year, I'm specifically supporting three of the causes they are funding: The Glasshouse Garden, which works with female prisoners through a programme of horticultural training and employment; the Down's Syndrome Scotland Garden, which involved young people at every stage of its making; and the King's Trust Garden, which creates wonderful parallels between the potential every young person has in life and the way seeds, even those growing in a tough environment, do succeed. How do you feel now about your new life in the Cotswolds? A year on, I'm just as excited as ever. Of course, we've also got a growing shopping list of things we want to get. Only last week, I turned to Mike and said, 'When are we getting the chickens?' He's coming with me to Chelsea, and once we've seen all the gardens, we'll be looking into everything from mowers and pruning ladders to hot composting and fruit cages for our strawberries and raspberries. One thing I'd really love to have is a garden office, whether it's in a shepherd's hut or a cabin. If we could get it installed by the time I sit down to write my next book, I'd be thrilled. How would you sum up your feelings about the garden now? For us, moving here was the right decision. Sometimes it takes a lot of work to follow your dream, but you can do it, if you really want to. There are so many wonderful sayings you come across about gardening. From a therapist's perspective, I find certain ones particularly poignant, such as: 'Plants forgive neglect – with time and care they come back. And so do we.' Another one, which Audrey Hepburn once said, and which sums up the hope any gardener must feel, is: 'To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.' Isn't that just wonderful? Project Giving Back is supporting ten gardens for good causes at this year's Chelsea Flower Show, May 20–24. For more information, visit
