Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Joanne Clifton and her actor fiancé AJ Jenks are expecting their first child in December – and it’s a boy. The couple shared their latest scan pictures and revealed the news in an exclusive interview.
“We’re so excited,” beams Joanne, 42. “We did feel it might be a boy from the beginning. Then, for some reason, the week before the gender scan we convinced ourselves otherwise. So when the nurse said, ‘You’re having a boy,’ we were so shocked that we had to go out for a walk and just let it sink in.”
From Mario Kart Date to Parenthood
The Lincolnshire-born star met AJ, 31, who’s from Birmingham, in 2020 when she went to see one of her friends performing in a musical that AJ had the lead role in. A hilarious first date followed, which involved playing Mario Kart in a gaming arcade. Last September the pair got engaged, announcing their news on Instagram with the caption, “Got bored..... so we’re getting married. Cheers!”
Joanne and AJ, who are now based in London, were in Cornwall visiting AJ’s parents when they took the pregnancy test and got a positive result. They were delighted – and there were plenty of tears. “We were so emotional,” Joanne admits. But they decided not to tell anyone until they’d passed the three-month mark.
Keeping It Under Wraps
Joanne says, “I was actually touring with Fawlty Towers at the time. I remember John Cleese on a later date inviting the whole cast to dinner one night and I wasn’t drinking. One girl whispered to me, ‘Are you pregnant?’ And I was like, ‘No, no!’”
Though they hadn’t been actively trying for a baby – they were on separate tours across the country and only saw each other twice a week – AJ says it felt like a logical next step after their engagement. “Of course, in your forties you do wonder if it might not happen,” Joanne says. “But we just thought, ‘Let’s go for it. If it doesn’t, we’ll still be happy.’”
Family Support and Strictly Friends
Joanne is already getting advice from her future sister-in-law, documentary presenter Stacey Dooley. Stacey has been dating Joanne’s brother, fellow Strictly alum Kevin Clifton, since 2019, and the couple have a three-year-old daughter called Minnie. “Kevin and Stacey were the only people we told before the three-month mark,” says Joanne, who FaceTimed the couple as soon as they found out.
Joanne has also been chatting about mum life with her old Strictly pals, including Janette Manrara, Dianne Buswell and Oti Mabuse, who is pregnant with her second baby.
Joanne reveals her pregnancy has been a mixed bag so far. “It’s been a bit tough. My first trimester wasn’t horrendous at all. The second trimester… I’ve got acid reflux, pains every time I stand up and my feet are so swollen.”
Once the baby arrives, Joanne and AJ hope to emulate pals like Janette and her husband Aljaž Škorjanec, bringing their little one on tour with them. AJ plans to move more into theatre production so he can look after their son while working from home, or in the dressing room as Joanne performs. She already has a huge gig lined up next year – when the baby will be about six months old – but she can’t tell us what it is just yet.
