Janette Manrara has said she is no longer part of It Takes Two or the main Strictly Come Dancing show, confirming that she will not host the spin-off when it returns later this year. The dancer and presenter said the change leaves her free to take on other projects she has wanted to do for years.
Manrara made the announcement in a YouTube video, where she said: “Strictly Come Dancing has now changed hugely. I am no longer a part of It Takes Two or the main show.” Her comments mark a clear end to a role that has made her one of the familiar faces of the ballroom franchise.
The timing matters because Strictly and its spin-off are being reshaped ahead of their return. Manrara replaced Zoe Ball as host of It Takes Two in 2021 and shared the presenting duties with Rylan Clark before Fleur East stepped in after Clark left in 2023. The spin-off was also reported in April to be heading for a major format revamp, with a visualised podcast style said to be part of the plan.
Manrara said she would still be involved in other ways, but did not spell out what that meant. She added that she was now free to pursue “many other projects” she had always wanted to do but had never really considered, a shift that comes after 14 years tied to Strictly in one form or another.
That long run included eight series as a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing, where she reached the final for the first time with HRVY. She said: “Strictly is all I’ve known for the past 14 years so it is a bit like, 'Oh, we’re going into a different world, a different space, how are we going to navigate that?'”
The wider show is changing too, with Emma Willis and Josh Widdicombe set to front the main One series alongside professional dancer Johannes Radebe. Strictly Come Dancing is due back on One and iPlayer in September, while It Takes Two is expected to return later this year without Manrara in the hosting line-up. What remains unclear is the form her continued involvement will take, even as one of the franchise’s longest-serving personalities moves into a new phase.
