Former Strictly Come Dancing pro, Janette Manrara, has recently provided fans with an update on the companion show It Takes Two amidst calls for her to step down as a co-host.
Janette, 41, shares the hosting role on the BBC spin-off with ex-Strictly contestant Fleur East, 37. Following Fleur’s well-received Monday episode where Jamie Borthwick and his dance partner Michelle Tsiakkas talked about their exit, some viewers suggested that Fleur should take over as sole presenter, leading to a split in opinions among the audience.
Breaking her silence following the calls on social media, Janette posted video snippets from the It Takes Two set on Wednesday afternoon, sharing thoughts about the ongoing series and a sad update.
In the footage, Janette tells her followers, “Hi team. Guess where I am. It Takes Two, baby. I can’t believe we only have… what two weeks left?”, as a voice off-camera confirms: “Two weeks left. Two and a half weeks.”
Throughout the video, where she showed off the studio briefly, the pro dancer’s face conveyed a touch of sadness at the thought of being close to the end of this series. She expressed to her audience: “Two weeks left of It Takes Two. That flew by, didn’t it? What a series. What a series.”
The latest run of It Takes Two is set to wrap up in the same week as the much-anticipated Strictly final, which is scheduled for December 14. The current series of Strictly started in September, reports the Mirror.
Opinions from viewers on who should host the spin-off show have been flooding X, formerly Twitter. One viewer posted: “Fleur is an easier watch than [Janette], get rid of Janette and have Fleur as the presenter.” Replies included a straightforward “Pretty please,” while another said they “totally agree.”
Fleur received further compliments that evening with a tweet stating: “Say it again Fleur is much better on this than Janette.”
However, not everyone shared this sentiment. In response to the suggestion that Janette should step down, one supporter firmly stated: “No way.” Another, joining the debate, said: “I’m the opposite. Will only watch when Janette is presenting.” A different user added: “Seriously? Janette runs rings around Fleur.”
Janette Manrara, who danced professionally on Strictly from 2013 to 2020, has been co-hosting It Takes Two since 2021. She initially co-hosted with Rylan Clark before Fleur East joined her as a presenter last year.
Fleur is the usual face of the long-standing programme on Mondays and Tuesdays, while Janette typically takes the helm on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The duo then take turns to present the show on Fridays throughout the series.
Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two airs Monday through to Friday at 6.30pm on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer