Janette Manrara's Biography

Janette Manrara was born on November 16, 1983 in Miami, Florida.

Her family are from Cuba.

Before becoming a dancer she was a banker.

In 2013, she became a professional dancer with Strictly Come Dancing.

Janette Manrara began performing in musical theatre at the age of 12. Although she studied at Florida International University with a focus on finance, she progressed with formal dance training.

She appeared on So You Think You Can Dance in the USA. In season 5, she made it into the top four girls.

Janette Manrara performed at the 82nd Academy Awards and was the principal dancer in the TV series and the live tour of Glee.

In 2010, she joined the cast of Burn the Floor in London's West End.

She told Latina magazine about her relationship with Jason Glover

In 2013, Janette Manrara was paired with Julien Macdonald in Strictly Come Dancing.

Julien and Janette were the third couple to be voted off.

In 2014, she was paired with Jake Wood in Strictly. They came fifth.

In 2015 she and fellow Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Aljaž Škorjanec got engaged.

In 2015, Janette Manrara partnered Peter Andre in Strictly and they were the ninth couple to leave the show.

In 2016, she was paired with Melvin Odoom. They were the first couple to be voted off.

In 2017, she partnered Aston Merrygold. They were the sixth couple to be eliminated.

In 2018, she was partnered on Strictly with Dr Ranj Singh. They were the sixth couple to be voted off.

In 2019, she was paired with Will Bayley. Will was injured and so he and Janette got a pass in the fifth week. However, he and Janette had to pull out of Strictly soon after.

In 2020, she was partnered by HRVY. They ended up reaching the final (of the last four pairs).

In June 2021, it was revealed that Janette Manrara was stepping down as a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing, to replace Zoe Ball as host of its spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two.

Janette and her husband Aljaz appeared together in Remembering the Awards.