Janette Manrara has praised former Strictly Come Dancing co-star Katya Jones for a heartwarming surprise just weeks after announcing her departure from the BBC dance show and its spin-off, It Takes Two.
Janette's Exit from Strictly
Janette, 42, originally joined Strictly as a professional dancer in 2013 and left that role in 2021. She remained part of the franchise as co-host of It Takes Two alongside Fleur East. However, following a major shake-up that saw Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman host their final episode last year, Janette confirmed she would not return for the upcoming series. Several professional dancers, including Karen Hauer, Gorka Marquez, Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk, and Michelle Tsiakkas, also exited.
On her YouTube channel, Janette 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 last 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?'”
Surprise During Supernova Tour
Recent weeks have seen Janette join forces with former Strictly pro Nikita Kuzmin, performing at several shows on his Supernova UK tour. Karen Hauer was the first of the recent exits to participate, with Nadiya Bychkova set to take over when Janette finishes her stint on Saturday, June 27.
Taking to Instagram on Friday, June 26, Janette revealed that Katya Jones surprised her during the tour. A video showed Katya gifting a stunned Janette with flowers during a performance. Sharing a picture of herself with Katya, Nikita, Lucy Cork, and Aimee Fuller, Janette captioned the post: “If you are lucky in life, you get best friends like @katyajones who move mountains to surprise you and come support you. Please watch the next slide to see my reaction when I realised who it was that was giving me the flowers.”
She added: “Thanks @aimee_fuller and @lucycork for coming too! My heart is full. Loving @burnthefloorofficial #Supernova w/ @nikita__kuzmin and the whole cast. Only 2 shows left for me! Going to miss them. Make sure you come watch before it closes. You do not want to miss it.”
Fan and Celebrity Reactions
The comments section saw a host of fans and famous friends react to Katya's kind gesture. Nikita Kuzmin left love heart emojis. Katya replied: “My chosen family, love you. And outstanding dancing by everyone x.” Aimee Fuller added: “loved seeing you slay!” Lucy Cork wrote: “YOU WERE UNREAL!! One of the best shows I’ve ever seen, just AMAZING.”
Fans also praised the surprise. @castle.skyla posted: “Such a beautiful gesture and I love to see the support.” @ilovejanettex commented: “so incredibly special. I love this so much !!!!!! So nice to see you so happy on stage.” @donna.rumpx stated: “This is the cutest I agree the show is outstanding.”
