Janette Manrara has revealed she sobbed for weeks after suffering what she described as "the biggest rejection" of her career when she missed out on the Strictly Come Dancing hosting job.
The professional dancer, 42, had her sights set on replacing Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman after years of working on the hit BBC ballroom show. Despite believing she had a genuine shot at landing the coveted role, Janette was left devastated when the job went to Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe, and Johannes Radebe.
'Hard pill to swallow'
Speaking to Jamie Laing on his podcast Great Company, Janette said she felt like a front runner after her years of experience on the show. She explained that she went from being a professional dancer for eight years to hosting It Takes Two for five years, while also hosting the Strictly live tour for five years.
She said: "With Strictly Come Dancing I hosted It Takes Two and there was like a journey there that I thought was gonna come for me, and come my way. I was in the chemistry test and I did really well in the chemistry test, at least that is what I was told so I assumed I did a great job."
Janette added that it was a "hard pill to swallow" because she had many reasons to believe she was the right person for the gig. She noted that on the Strictly live tour she played both Tess and Claudia with all the judges and the couples, meaning audiences watched the show with her hosting instead.
'Seven stages of grief'
Janette found comfort in reaching out to fellow hopefuls Zoe Ball and Fleur East, who were also in the running for the job. She said all three felt like they had been going through the seven stages of grief after not getting the job.
Recalling the moment she received the bad news, Janette admitted she did not take it very well. She said producers called everybody's agents and handled it very professionally, with everyone receiving a yes or no on the same day. They then gave her the weekend to process the news, but she revealed she sobbed for weeks.
