Strictly stars Janette Manrara and Aljaz Skorjanec welcome first baby

Strictly Come Dancing stars Janette Manrara and Aljaz Skorjanec have announced the birth of their first child together. In a joint Instagram post the married couple shared a photo showing Janette and Aljaz in hospital with the newborn baby.

They revealed that the baby girl, named Lyra Rose Skorjanec, was born on Friday. In the sweet snap which they shared on Saturday, Janette, 39, is cradling Lyra in bed while Aljaz, 33, leans over them, smiling.

The couple were flooded with messages from friends and fellow Strictly co-stars, including Strictly Come Dancing professional Gorka Marquez who wrote “so gorgeous!!!” His fiancee, actress Gemma Atkinson, who gave birth to their second child this week, said “just wonderful”.

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Strictly star Oti Mabuse added “CONGRATULATIONS best news ever” and Amy Dowden described the baby as “utter perfection”. The couple announced in February they were expecting after they found out Manrara was pregnant in early December, just as they were about to start IVF treatment.

Manrara, who quit her role as a professional dancer two years ago so they could try for a baby, told Hello! magazine that they had begun pursuing the idea of IVF after they had been trying for a child for the past couple of years but “nothing was happening”. The dancer-turned-presenter said she was about to start the injections when she discovered she was pregnant.

The professional dancers met in 2010 when performing in the live dance show Burn The Floor, and they tied the knot in 2017. They starred alongside each other on Strictly Come Dancing for many years before Manrara stepped down in 2021 to become a co-host of the spin-off