Strictly Come Dancing’s Janette Manrara has addressed cruel trolls who criticised her decision to return to work six weeks after the birth of her daughter.
The 41-year-old Cuban-American said she was ‘baffled’ by people judging her for resuming presenting on shows including Morning Live and It Takes Two after welcoming baby girl Lyra Rose, with husband Aljaž Skorjanec.
‘I went back to Morning Live when Lyra was six weeks old and some people said, “You’re not setting a good example.” It baffles me that we judge each other like that,’ she told the Radio Times.
Her It Takes Two star Fleur East added: ‘You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Either you shouldn’t go to work and leave the kids at home, or you shouldn’t “just” be a mum.’
In September, Janette opening up about the challenges of parenting and work, with Aljaž, 34, also returning to this year’s Strictly, on which he is partnered with Tasha Ghouri.
Janette – whose past Strictly partners include Jake Wood, Peter Andre, and Aston Merrygold – said it’s ‘very difficult’ to juggle work and raising a one-year-old.
Janette’s family reside in Miami, while Aljaž’s loved ones live in Slovenia, meaning him going back to Strictly as a professional with such an intense schedule will bring challenges.
‘We have no one to help so it’s all about future planning as much as possible. It’s a massive juggle,’ she told The Mirror.
‘Right now, Aljaž and I are trying to figure out how we’re going to make it work with him being back on Strictly full-time.
‘His schedule is basically seven days a week and the hours are here, there, and everywhere.
‘Lyra goes to nursery a couple of days a week, but planning childcare when Aljaž and I are both working and she is not in nursery can be very complicated, especially with no family around to help.’
Janette added: ‘I know how hard it is doing Strictly, let alone doing it when you’re a parent, so I’m planning every inch of our lives for the next few months.’
She stressed that ‘the most important thing is that Lyra’s comfortable and happy.’
‘I don’t want her to miss Mummy or Daddy too much amidst the madness.’
Janette also admitted to ‘putting [her] foot on the brake’ in terms of her career when she became a mum.
Confessing to being a ‘workaholic’, she said: ‘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?
‘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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Janette and Aljaž married in 2017, with her proudly declaring him her ‘best friend’,
The couple welcomed their first child Lyra in July 2023 in an Instagram post.
Strictly Come Dancing continues at 6.30pm on Saturday on BBC One and iPlayer.
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