Janette Manrara is spreading her wings after years in TV (Picture: Dave Hogan/Hogan Media/Shutterst)
Strictly Come Dancing legend Janette Manrara has unveiled a huge new job four years after quitting the BBC show.
The 41-year-old announced her departure from the main show in 2021 but remained ‘part of the Strictly family’ as she joined spin-off It Takes Two as a presenter.
Now, though, Janette is trying a new venture away from TV as she has been cast as Roxie Hart in the UK and Ireland touring production of hit musical Chicago.
She joins the cast on March 3 at the Cliffs Pavilion, Southend and will perform on the show until August 30 at the Lowry, Salford. She will also head to cities including Glasgow, Norwich and Leicester.
On Instagram, Janette was flooded with messages of support from her famous friends, including Fleur East, who wrote: ‘Amazing news!!! Congratulations sista!!! Can’t wait to see you do this.’
Kym Marsh exclaimed: ‘Woooooowwwwww that’s awesome!!!’
Janette has joined the cast of Chicago as Roxie Hart (Picture: Chicago The Musical)
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Amy Dowden shared: ‘Go on superstar! Xxxx.’
Echoing Amy’s sentiment, Dianne Buswell said: ‘Yessss girl so exciting 😍 so happy for you.’
Ali Bastian also added: ‘Oh my gosh, you are going to be AMAZING!!!! It’s such a dream of a part and a show, enjoy every moment!!’
Last year, Janette opened up about the cruel trolls ‘mum-shaming’ her for resuming presenting on shows including Morning Live and It Takes Two after welcoming baby girl Lyra Rose with husband Aljaž Skorjanec.
She will be touring all over the UK and Ireland in the musical (Picture: David Fisher/Shutterstock)
‘I went back to Morning Live when Lyra was six weeks old and some people said, “You’re not setting a good example.” It baffles me that we judge each other like that,’ she told the Radio Times.
Her It Takes Two star Fleur East added: ‘You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Either you shouldn’t go to work and leave the kids at home, or you shouldn’t “just” be a mum.’
Janette also previously said she ‘put [her] foot on the brake’ in terms of her career when she became a mum.
Confessing to being a ‘workaholic’, she said: ‘I’m a dancer and my body is my tool, so the decision to have a child was a big one, as it meant putting me out of work for at least a year, maybe two, who knows?
Janette started co-presenting It Takes Two with Rylan after Strictly (Picture: BBC/Ray Burmiston)
‘When I became a presenter on It Takes Two, I felt like a massive weight had been lifted off my shoulders. “Ok, now we can start a family and not stress because now I can work without needing my body physically as much as I used to”.’
Janette and Aljaž married in 2017, with her proudly declaring him her ‘best friend.’
The couple welcomed their first child Lyra in July 2023 in an Instagram post.
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