Strictly star Janette Manrara admitted she felt like she was raising her daughter as a “single mum” due to husband Aljaz Skorjanec’s busy schedule.
The TV stars appeared on Good Morning Britain on Monday (April 28) and discussed how they balance family life with their one-year-old daughter Lyra and a hectic workload.
Janette Manrara felt like she was raising her daughter as a ‘single mum’
In 2022, Aljaz, 35, took a step back from Strictly before becoming a first-time dad and admitted he enjoyed being a stay-at-home parent.
“I love it! It’s like my favourite thing now, Strictly profession? No, stay-at-home dad is first!” he said.
Last year, however, the pro dancer returned to Strictly and reached the finals with former Love Island star Tasha Ghouri. As a result, wife Janette, 41, looked after Lyra in Cheshire, where the pair lived, while her husband rehearsed in London.
GMB host Ed Balls pointed out: “That’s where Lyra started off her life [Cheshire] but it ended up becoming just too hard to commute between the North West.”
Janette agreed, describing the schedule for Strictly as “quite intense”. She added: “We don’t really know Aljaz’ schedule at all until basically the night before really of what the day is going to be like.
“So I kept saying to my friends, I felt a little bit like a single mum those few months. Because I had to kind of assume Aljaz would not be around, so it was just me and Lyra.”
‘We didn’t get to spend a lot of time with Aljaz last series’
Janette admitted that she and Lyra “didn’t get to spend a lot of time with Aljaz last series”. Because of this, she revealed they have “moved back down to London”, explaining it has “been a really great decision as a family”.
Earlier this month, it was announced that Aljaz would be returning to Strictly in September.
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From May, the married couple will be spending more time together when they embark on their A Night to Remember across the UK.
Read more: Strictly’s Janette Manrara and Aljaz Skorjanec share heartfelt parenting statement: ‘It’s not easy’
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