Before finding lifelong love and marrying her fellow Strictly Come Dancing professional Aljaž Škorjanec, television presenter and dancer Janette Manrara dated two other well-known stars of the hit BBC ballroom show: Pasha Kovalev and Artem Chigvintsev.
Long before hosting the BBC spin-off show It Takes Two, Manrara built a vibrant career in professional dance. Her path crossed with Škorjanec in 2009 at a London dance studio. The pair grew close while touring together in the hit production Burn the Floor. They officially became a couple in 2011, two years before Škorjanec won Strictly Come Dancing with his celebrity partner Abbey Clancy.
Past Romances With Fellow Strictly Professionals
Before settling down with Škorjanec, Manrara was linked to fellow professional dancers Pasha Kovalev and Artem Chigvintsev. Sources close to the cast reported that these earlier relationships were short-lived.
A source told the Sunday People in 2013:
“She enjoyed a brief romance with Pasha. None of the relationships went very far or lasted for a long time. Now they are all good friends and can laugh and joke about it, which is fortunate because they will be working very close together.”
Despite their shared history backstage, everyone maintained a professional and amicable working environment while performing on the BBC series.
Building a Life Together: Marriage and Family
Fate ultimately brought Manrara and Škorjanec together for the long term. The couple got engaged in 2015 and married in London in 2017, surrounded by family, friends, and celebrity guests. After their wedding, the newlyweds split their honeymoon between Florida and Slovenia to visit their families.
In July 2023, the couple welcomed their daughter, Lyra Rose. Manrara then stepped back from her role as a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing to focus on television presenting, joining the It Takes Two hosting team alongside Rylan Clark.
Reflecting on her emotional final dance on the BBC programme-where she performed live with her husband to a song by Ed Sheeran-Manrara shared how meaningful the moment was. Today, Manrara and Škorjanec remain a beloved couple in British television, completely at ease with their pasts and focused on their family.
