Strictly Come Dancing couple Aljaz Skorjanec and Janette Manrara believe making the huge change will make the juggle of their work and family life easier, following a difficult period
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Strictly Come Dancing stars Janette Manrara and Aljaz Skorjanec have said goodbye the Cheshire countryside as they move back down south following a two-year stay. The relocation was prompted by the challenging task of balancing their rigorous work schedules with family life.
Reflecting on the difficulty of moving, particularly with their daughter Lyra, who turns two this year, Aljaz didn't mince his words. "Awful, awful, absolutely awful," he revealed. "Moving home is one of the last things you want to do, let's be honest. And it doesn't matter how you do it, if you get someone to help you with it, if you do it yourself.
"The reality is you're going to be looking at cardboard for a foreseeable amount of time."
He added: "It's very stressful and it takes so much longer with a little one, especially a toddler, because she finds it hilarious opening the boxes, and you don't want to stop her either. So yeah, you kind of find your toothbrush in the outside garage or something."
Moving closer to London is set to streamline commitments and precious family moments for the couple, who have had their fair share of temporary stays in hotels. Further addressing the situation, Aljaz joked: "I stayed in a hotel for four months in a row at one point. I felt like Tom Hanks in The Terminal!".
Janette, 41, is one of the hosts of Strictly: It Takes Two, a job she began in 2021, following eight years of competing as a Strictly professional.
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MAIN - Incredible twist of fate that sealed Janette and Aljaz's happy end CREDIT: Instagram Aljaz announced he was also leaving the following year, but returned to the dance floor for the 2024 series. According to Janette, he is hoping he'll be asked back for this year's series, though this decision is yet to be made by producers.
Reflecting on the difficulty the pair faced to make their jobs work last year, Janette added to The Mirror: "We tried it this year with me commuting to London for It Takes Two and Aljaz staying down in London for the whole series of Strictly.
"It's just not feasible for us to do that because the priority is family and spending time together and Lyra's well-being and that is not going to be sustainable if Aljaz is going back to Strictly, which hopefully he is."
Janette says the pair's move also ensures stability for their daughter who will now have a more stable routine.
"She'll be home, she'll be going to the same nursery, she'll be in the same kind of routine, and then we'll get to really spend more time together as a family than not. But never say never about going back up north, because we did love it up there," she revealed, hinting at their fondness for the north and leaving the door open for a possible return," she added.
"When we moved back down close to London, I said to Aljaz that the only way we could do this is if we could find a house that is in the countryside again, because we just love the green and the space."
