Former Strictly Come Dancing star Janette Manrara has said she is "done wasting time and energy" in a defiant Instagram post, months after missing out on the Strictly hosting job and leaving spin-off It Takes Two.
The 42-year-old former Strictly dancer posted a series of pictures of herself alongside a message declaring she is "done wasting" her energy. She wrote: "I am done!!! Done wasting energy, time and space on these..."
She listed the habits she is giving up, including "waiting to feel ready - confidence shows up after you've started. Just go for it! Nerves and all!" and "explaining myself to anyone - not every decision needs justification. And not everyone needs to understand it."
Defiant Message to Followers
Janette also said she is done "confusing being busy with being successful - a full diary doesn't always mean a full life. And exhaustion isn't a personality trait (really working on this one)."
She continued that she was not going to "say 'yes' just to not disappoint someone", adding: "Sorry, not sorry. 'Yes' to you, means 'no' to something I want more." Janette also said she was going to stop "pretending I have it all figured out".
She explained: "I really don't! Yes I post good moments, but the journey is never straight forward. Mistakes, help from family, and getting things wrong are pit stops all the way!!"
Reflection on Life Lessons
In the caption, she added: "A few things life has taught me lately. Do I still catch myself doing some of them? Absolutely. But I’m getting better at recognising the habits that don’t really serve me anymore. Sometimes learning what NOT to do is just as important as learning what to do. What’s one thing you’ve decided you’re not doing anymore? I might need to borrow a few answers."
The dancer's comments come just a few months after she found out she had not got the job as the new Strictly Come Dancing host, despite hosting the weekday spin-off It Takes Two and having been on the show as a dancer.
Reaction to Missing Out on Hosting Role
In September, the star told Jamie Laing's podcast that she "sobbed for weeks" after she found out not only that she hadn't got the job, but that she would no longer be on It Takes Two either. "I remember coming home and it was a really hard pill to swallow," she said. "When you just put it on paper you assume 'okay, I've got a shot' because all the pieces are there."
While she knew she was not "owed" a job, she said the decision broke her heart. "I felt like I was a frontrunner," she admitted. "I went from being a professional dancer on the show. Then I became the host of It Takes Two for five years and at the same time hosted the Strictly Live Tour for five years. And in the Strictly Live Tour, I play both Tess and Claudia with all the judges and the couples."
She added: "Unfortunately they just decided to go elsewhere. And of course it hit hard. Of course I was devastated." Janette joked that she and her fellow former It Takes Two hosts, Zoe Ball and Fleur East, went through "seven stages of grief" over not getting the job.
"I sobbed for weeks, I'm not going to lie," she candidly said before revealing how the production team had supported her. "I called them the next day and they were just there for me."
