Strictly It Takes Two is back with a glittery bang to give Strictly Come Dancing fans the inside scoop on all things backstage in the
Ballroom.
The dynamic duo, Janette Manrara and Fleur East, will return to BBC Two and iPlayer at 6.30pm on Monday 23rd September and
they’ll be bringing viewers all the behind-the scenes glamour and gossip.
As Strictly Come Dancing AND It Takes Two return for the 20th year, once again bringing joy and sparkle to homes across the
nation, Fleur and Janette will take a deep dive into what magic ingredients go into making the nation’s favourite dance show.
This series of Strictly promises to be extra special with even more glitz, razzmatazz and unforgettable performances and It Takes
Two will be right there at the forefront!
Strictly It Takes Two is a BBC Daytime Commission. The commissioning Editor is Alex McLeod, the Executive Producer for BBC
Studios is Eve Winstanley and the Series Editors are Sonal Patel and Judith Hay.
Audiences can watch Strictly It Takes Two every weekday at 6.30pm on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
Janette Manrara
How does it feel to be back and part of It Takes Two in its 20th year?
Oh my gosh, 20 years of Strictly Come Dancing and 20 years of It Takes Two,
two shows that make people smile throughout the most exciting time of the
year. I am absolutely privileged to host It Takes Two alongside Fleur. She’s such
an amazing partner to do this with. And, I mean, Strictly Come Dancing is the
best TV show on telly. As a dancer myself, knowing the level of appreciation it
gets from the audience and fans is so humbling. So for me to be back on It
Takes Two, talking about dancing and the couples and their experiences, is
incredible. I’m so happy.
Since the show is 20 years old this year, what were you doing at age 20?
Oh gosh, now you’ve given away my age! 20 years ago, I didn’t even know if I
was going to be a dancer. Back then, I was working in a bank, studying finance
in Miami, and I had a very different idea of how my life was going to turn out. So
20 years have been 20 years of magic, leading me to this.
What made you decide to pursue dancing?
I auditioned for a TV show in the US called So You Think You Can Dance, and it
went really well, unexpectedly. I had that kind of sliding doors moment where I
could either move to Los Angeles and just keep trying to see what happens, or
go back to my secure job at the bank. So I moved to LA, lived there for a bit,
and ended up getting a job with Burn the Floor, which is where everything else
spiralled from. If I hadn’t taken the chance after So You Think and moved to LA,
I probably wouldn’t be here. One decision changed everything.
What do you think the next 20 years will look like for Strictly and It Takes
Two?
I’m really hoping we get 20 more years of the same! For me, being part of the
show for, I think, 11 years now, it’s been the most magical 11 years of my life.
To keep celebrating dancing, to keep seeing people’s faces light up when they
learn a new step or get a routine right, or meeting a fan of the show on the
street who say, “Oh my god, I loved that dance” or “I loved that moment when
such-and-such happened,” it’s so special.
Do you have any weird and wonderful things that you do, before you do a live show? Any superstitions or rituals?
Well, I always call Aljaž and Lyra. And make sure I say, “Okay, love you, I’m about to go on, just about to start. Let’s go!” Although this
year, I might be interviewing him, so…
How will you feel interviewing Aljaž?
Yeah, I’m excited to interview him. Do you know why? Because I’ll probably get his side of the story of how things went throughout
the week. So it’ll be my chance to hear how it really went.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
To listen. I think sometimes we get caught up in our thoughts, or caught up in a theory, or caught up in a feeling or an emotion. And
then, even when people are explaining themselves, trying to get you to understand something, we just don’t listen – or we don’t
listen to ourselves. We don’t really listen to what our body and our minds are telling us. So listening is crucial.
So, obviously it was Fleur’s first year presenting last year. Did you learn anything about your presenting styles? Is one of you the
good cop, bad cop?
Do you know what’s the crazy thing about me and Fleur? We are so, so, so alike. And the more we hang out and spend time together,
the more we start finding things that make us similar. So really, I feel like we’re just a piece of each other – literally the same.
Whether you’ve got Fleur or me, you’re going to get the same kind of show because… I don’t know, we’re really similar. I mean,
we’re both as silly and stupid as each other. We’re both very driven, we both love what we do, and we both love Strictly.
Any favourite moments between the two of you from last year?
I really enjoyed doing all the trails that we did – like the ones leading up to Halloween Week, or leading up to Movie Week, or going
to Blackpool, or for the final.The more we do together, the better.
Can you describe It Takes Two in one word or one phrase?
I’d say It Takes Two is the best behind-the-scenes you can get of Strictly. You get the real truth of everything from everyone. If you want
to know what’s really going on? Watch It Takes Two. You can read a headline in a paper, but with It Takes Two, you watch a couple
getting interviewed, and you really get a sense – not just from the interview, but also from the VTs. s I’ve always been a fan of It Takes
Two – before I hosted it, I loved watching Rylan or Zoe doing it. And now, to be that person, I’m really happy and proud to kind of keep
showing people and going, “Oh, I didn’t know it worked that way.”
Fleur East
How does it feel to be part of Strictly and It Takes Two in their 20th year?
Very, very exciting to be part of such a huge franchise. It’s my second year on
It Takes Two. I was welcomed in the most amazing way last year, so I feel a
little bit more at home this time. Yeah, I’m excited to do it all again!
How did you find your first year presenting? Any key moments or
backstage stories?
I love filming all of our silly, jokey trails that we do together. The Shining was
a highlight for me for Halloween Week – I loved that. And yeah, just messing
about on set. The team just has so much fun, so it’s always a good time.
Both Strictly and It Takes Two are celebrating their 20th anniversaries this
year. What were you doing when you were 20?
I was at university, studying journalism and history, and going to way too
many freshers’ parties!
What do you think the next 20 years will look like for Strictly?
Oh my gosh! I hope in 20 years we’re still here, and that it just evolves. We’ve
got so many new generations of stars coming out. We want to see everyone
doing a Foxtrot and a Samba, surely! I hope that the magic keeps going.
Do you have any weird and wonderful things you do before a live show?
Any superstitions or rituals?
Yes, I guess it has become a superstition, I’ve got a ring that my sister and I
made from my dad’s ring after he passed away in 2020. Everytime I have to
go out and do anything, I have to hold my ring and I say, “Let’s go, Daddio,”
and it makes me feel like I can do what I need to do.
What will make It Takes Two extra special this year?
More mayhem, more digging into all the information, as much as we can get
to you before the Saturday night shows. We love it as fans of the show as
well, so we’ll try to get you as much backstage action as we can.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
No position in life is permanent. My mum always says that, and it’s true, whether you’re in a positive or a negative chapter. If
it’s negative, it’s encouraging because you think, “Okay, I’ll be out of this. This isn’t going to last forever.” But on the flip side, it
keeps you grounded if you’re having an amazing time, you know things don’t always last, so you make the most of it.
What have you learned about your presenting style from your first year? Did you learn anything about your presenting
style with Janette?
I think we enable each other, like two naughty kids in a classroom egging each other on! We try to keep it cool, try and calm it
down but we’re both Scorpios with a lot of energy, and we love to laugh so when we’re together that’s what
happens.
Can you describe It Takes Two in one word or phrase?
Wholesome. Because it’s the place where people connect to the celebs and their partners in a way that they can’t watching the
main show. You get more reactions, and especially on Mondays after whoever has left the show, you get to see how much it
meant to them.
