Nadiya Bychkova, a celebrated Strictly Come Dancing professional, has enthusiastically endorsed her colleague Janette Manrara to celebrate her landing a major new gig. Since 2017, viewers have watched Nadiya, aged 35, grace the dance floor with her waltz, skip and cha-cha-cha.
Meanwhile, Janette, who is 41, served as a professional dancer on the program from 2013 until 2020, before stepping up in 2021 to present the spin-off show Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two. .
Exciting news has emerged that Janette has bagged an impressive role for 2025, trading the It Takes Two couch for the limelight, ready to dazzle fans in the iconic role of Roxie Hart in a fresh production of the acclaimed musical Chicago. Set to premiere in March, the musical will take her on a tour throughout the UK and Ireland, keeping her engaged in acting, dancing, and singing onstage until the end of August.
The potential influence on her role within the BBC franchise remains uncertain, but her friend and co-star’s support is unmistakable. .
Taking to Instagram Stories to share her joy, Janette announced, “I have news… Extra extra! Big news for Foxy Roxie! The dazzling Janette Manrara will be joining the #ChicagoUKTour as Roxie Hart from 3rd March! ” Nadiya amplified the announcement on her own social media by reposting it along with her personal congratulatory message: “Couldn’t be more proud and excited about my dear friend @jmanrara. Love you lots! Congratulations.”, reports the Mirror.
During the 2024 series of Strictly Come Dancing, Nadiya was partnered with Olympic swimmer Tom Dean and experienced the unfortunate fate of being the first pair to be voted off. This seemed to take a heavy toll on Nadiya who expressed her feelings through social media by posting: “I really appreciate all the messages but I’m not ready to talk about what happened tonight just yet.”
Her statement led to fan speculation that she might exit the dance competition, with one user sharing their prediction on Reddit last November: “I truly believe a lot of the pros will end up leaving after this year for various reasons: Nadiya – inevitable, she seems p***ed at her treatment this year and years priors and the whole awkwardness with Kai press doesn’t help, I think they’ll have to give her a sure fire finalist e.g. Sam Thompson (almost certain he’ll be on next year) to stay but that seems unlikely.”
Meanwhile, Janette, who tied the knot with fellow Strictly pro Aljaž Škorjanec in 2017 and has a one year old daughter named Lyra Rose, has been receiving positive reactions from followers about her new role in Chicago.
Comments of support from fans include one Reddit user saying: “She’ll be excellent, I’m sure.” While another congratulated her: “Well done Janette for getting this gig! “.
Janette Manrara’s recent casting update follows her admission that she was able to ease up on her workload after securing the co-hosting gig on It Takes Two. The professional dancer, who acknowledges her “workaholic” nature, opened up about the significant decision to start a family, considering the impact it would have on her career.
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She explained: “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? ” She also expressed relief upon becoming a presenter, saying, “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’.”
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