‘Mortified’ Janette Manrara’s concerns over Strictly future after ‘call from boss’

Strictly favourite Janette Manrara previously recalled the moment she thought she was getting fired, after an awkward on-air gaffe.

The dancer shot to fame as a pro on the BBC One show from 2013 to 2021. Janette – who is on The Hit List Celebrity Special this weekend (December 21) – then bagged a hosting gig on spin-off show, It Takes Two, alongside Fleur East.

However, live TV doesn’t always go to plan; something Janette knows all too well about…

Strictly star Janette Manrara on ‘mortifying’ TV moment

In an interview from 2023, Janette was quizzed on her worst moment presenting live TV. The dancer went on to recall a ‘mortifying’ incident that saw her accidentally swear in Italian on TV.

“I don’t want to bring it up because I was mortified but I was hosting It Takes Two and my guest was an Italian choreographer. I don’t speak Italian, but there’s quite a few Italians around me on Strictly and they’re always saying this phrase as a joke to each other and I assumed it was like slang for ‘what’s up?’” Janette told The Telegraph.

Janette had ‘phone call’ from Strictly boss

Strictly star Janette then revealed she “thought it’d be nice to say something to him in his language”.

She explained: “So at the end of the interview, I said the phrase. And he looked at me with a big smile on his face. It turned out that I cussed in Italian.”

And things soon took a dramatic turn when Janette received a call from her boss the following day.

Janette shared: “There was a phone call from my boss the next morning. And she said: ‘Janette, did you swear in Italian last night on the show?’ I had no idea what it meant and I thought I was going to get fired.”

Janette and Aljaz on ‘crazy’ schedules

In other Janette news, the TV star recently opened up about raising her child alone while her husband Aljaz Skorjanec was busy working on the show. In July last year, Janette and partner Aljaz welcomed their first child, Lyra Rose.

While both are working parents, Janette in December, admitted that it sometimes feels like she’s raising their daughter as if she’s a single parent. This is because Aljaz’s schedule has been so “crazy” following his Strictly return.

Watch The Hit List Strictly Special on Saturday (December 21) at 5:30pm on BBC One.

Read more: Strictly pro Aljaz Skorjanec casts doubt over his future on the show

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