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Janette Manrara praised Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly live on air as she emerged as a frontrunner to replace them after they stepped down from hosting Strictly.
The dancer, 41, left her role as a professional on the show in 2021 and has since transitioned into presenting as co-host of the spin-off show, It Takes Two.
Thanks to her role on the series, Janette is said to be amongst the favourites to take over from Claudia and Tess next year.
The current hosts, who have fronted the show together since 2014, announced their departure in an emotional social media video to fans on Thursday.
Paying tribute to Claudia and Tess on It Takes Two, Janette said: ‘Tess has presented the show since its very first episode alongside the legendary Sir Bruce [Forsyth].
‘Claudia originally presented our show before moving over to host the results show alongside Tess in 2010. They’ve both presented the main show and the results show together since 2014.’
Janette Manrara praised Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly live on air as she emerged as a frontrunner to replace them after they stepped down from hosting Strictly
The dancer, 41, left her role as a professional on the show in 2021 and has since transitioned into presenting as co-host of the spin-off show, It Takes Two
Janette added: ‘Ladies, we are going to miss you both so much! But, luckily, we still have them for what promises to be the rest of a brilliant series and the Christmas special!’
Some of the top names in telly have already had their hat thrown into the ring for the primetime gig, which will begin at the start of the next series in 2026.
Janette, Zoe Ball, Holly Willoughby, Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton are currenlty among the front runners.
Other names who have been mentioned so far include Roman Kemp and former contestant Alex Scott.
It’s no surprise Janette’s name has been bandied around as she is someone who knows the show like the back of her hand, with her odds at 3-1.
The Cuban-American star is best known in the UK for her work on the BBC show, which she appeared on from 2013 for eight series.
Janette, who grew up in Miami, Florida, was scouted when she competed on So You Think You Can Dance USA in 2009.
It led to her joining the global stage show Burn the Floor, where she met fellow dancer and future husband Aljaž Škorjanec.
Paying tribute to Claudia and Tess on It Takes Two, Janette said: ‘Ladies, we are going to miss you both so much! But we still have them for what promises to be the rest of a brilliant series’
It’s no surprise Janette’s name has been bandied around as she is someone who knows the show like the back of her hand, with her odds at 3-1 to replace the duo
After this she became a fan favourite on Strictly thanks to her warmth, energy, and choreography, partnering celebrities including Jake Wood, Peter Andre, and HRVY.
After leaving the main competition in 2021, she transitioned into presenting, becoming co-host of the spin-off show Strictly: It Takes Two alongside Rylan Clark and later Fleur East.
Tess and Claudia shared a joint video on Instagram on Thursday, saying: ‘After 21 wonderfully joyful years on Strictly, we have decided that the time is right to step aside and pass on the baton.’
Tess added: ‘Strictly has been more than just a television programme. It’s felt like having a third child, a second family, and a huge part of my life since that very first show back in 2004.’
Meanwhile Claudia described hosting the show as ‘the greatest relationship of my career.’
