Janette Manrara declares love for Strictly Come Dancing co-star after show of support amid new series

She declared her love for one of her Strictly co-stars after she showed her support following her recent health setback

Janette Manrara(Image: Janette Manrara Instagram)

Janette Manrara has declared her love for one of her Strictly Come Dancing co-stars after she showed her support following her recent health setback.

Fans will be aware that the dancer and presenter made her stage debut in the show back in March, taking on the iconic role of Roxie Hart in the touring musical, Chicago.

She went on to perform the role in venues up and down the country before taking a break and then returning last month (June). But during her recent visit to Blackpool with the show, Janette suffered a bout of ill health.

She had to pull out of a couple of shows, and told her fans at the time: "It takes a lot for me to miss a show, so to anyone coming to Blackpool tonight, I am deeply sorry.

"I am unwell and must rest to recover quickly and be back on stage. The cast is absolutely phenomenal so the show will be as magical as it always is. I'm on the mend now and hoping to be back ASAP. Love you all, Jxxx."

She went on to make a return to the stage and on Wednesday (July 30) reflected on her trip back to Blackpool, which is synonmous with Strictly thanks to its annual special in the world-famous Tower Ballroom.

Alongside pictures from her stay in the seaside town, including one showing the extent of her eye infection, Janette shared on Instagram: "Blackpool last week was a mix of fun, sun, and frustration all at the same time.

"When I didn’t have conjunctivitis, the rest of it was really lovely! Saw my girlfriends, learned a few bits about @lindajohnpierre, enjoyed the views of the tower and seaside, and had a great few shows.

"The last photo… the bit of the week that was not so fun! Haha! But all much better now. See you soon Blackpool!"

She's since continued on to join the rest of the cast at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking, and Stricly pal Katya Jones was quick to watch her in action.

Janette was reunited with Strictly co-star Katya(Image: Janette Manrara Instagram)

Sharing a video of her final bow, Katya wrote on Instagram: "@jmanrara You are - my friend - nothing short of sensational." Alongside a selfie of the piar, she added:: "So proud to watch you living your dream on that stage."

Janette reshared both of the posts to her Instagram Story, and alongside the one of them together, she added: "Love you!"

It comes after Katya was seen heading into rehearsals for Strictly 2025 alongside her fellow pros, including Janette's husband Aljaz Skorjanec, who made a much-welcome return to the BBC One dance contest last year following a two-year hiatus.

It was back in April that the BBC confirmed the professional line-up for the upcoming run of the hit dance show. Alongside Katya, Amy Dowden, Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Karen Hauer, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Gorka Marquez and Luba Mushtuk will all take to the floor once more.

They'll also be joined by Jowita Przystal, Johannes Radebe, Aljaž Škorjanec, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley, Michelle Tsiakkas and Vito Coppola.

But that's not the complete line-up as when the initial announcement was made, it was also revealed that two brand new professional dancers will be making their debut. It was then over the weekend that the necomers were revealed as Alexis Warr and Julian Caillon.