Janette Manrara returns to Strictly Come Dancing tour after being axed from It Takes Two

JANETTE Manrara is returning to the world of Strictly Come Dancing after being dropped from the programme’s spin-off show, It Takes Two. The pro dancer left It Takes Two in June, five years after retiring from her role as a dancer on the main show. Janette Manrara is returning to Strictly Credit: ©JOHAN PERSSON The star will join Shirley, Anton and Craig on the Strictly Come Dancing Tour Credit: ©JOHAN PERSSON Now Strictly have announced that Janette will be making a return next year as the host of the Strictly Come Dancing Live UK Tour. Janette will be joining judges Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, and Craig Revel Horwood on the road. Sign up for the TV newsletter Thank you! The tour is set to last for around three weeks, with 29 shows happening from 22 January to 14 February. Audiences will be encouraged to get their dancing shoes on as they watch a new line-up of celebrities and professional dancers show them what they’ve got. Read more Janette Manrara Janette was axed from Strictly’s spin-off show It Takes Two earlier this year The tour is set to begin early next year Credit: ©JOHAN PERSSON, for press and publicity while production is being performed. All other us Speaking about the tour, head judge Shirley says: “I just love the Strictly tour and all the banter that I have with Anton and Craig! “It’s the best way to start the year and I can’t wait to see our incredible fans all over the country.” Janette confirmed that she had been axed from Strictly a few months ago, and she took the news hard. The beloved professional dancer and television presenter, 44, said at the time that “reality has [had] started to hit” following her show departure after 14 years with the BBC. Most read in TV Speaking in a video shared to her YouTube channel, the presenter said: “Strictly Come Dancing has changed hugely and I am no longer a part of It Takes Two or the main show. “I’ll still be involved in other ways. But, that just means that I’m free to pursue and do many other projects that I’ve always wanted to do and never really thought about doing. “Strictly is all I’ve known for the past 14 years so it is a bit like, ‘Oh, we’re going into a different world, a different space, how are we going to navigate that?’.” Several of the well known professional dancers have also been axed from the show. Among the axed pros are the likes of Luba Mushtuk, Gorka Marquez, Karen Hauer, Nadiya Bychkova and Michelle Tsiakkas. Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe have also stepped in to replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman as the show’s hosts. Comment now