Strictly Come Dancing's Janette Manrara addresses 'challenging' time away from husband Aljaz

Janette Manrara has opened up about a "challenging" period during her first year on Strictly Come Dancing.

In 2013, Janette, her husband Aljaz Skorjanec and their fellow professional dancer Kevin Clifton joined the show, each experiencing different outcomes with their celebrity partners.

During week four, Janette and her first celebrity partner Julien McDonald were eliminated after a dance-off with Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev and because of this, they were unable to go on the nationwide tour.

Aljaz on the other hand went on to win the Glitterball trophy with Abbey Clancy, defeating Kevin and Good Morning Britain's Susanna Reid in the final.

In her book, Tiny Dancer, Big World, Janette said not being able to tour with Aljaz was "one of the most challenging times" of her life.

She wrote: "I was disappointed, especially as I didn't know many people in the UK, and I wouldn't see Aljaz for five long weeks.

"Loneliness settled in and I found myself grappling with feelings of defeat. It was undoubtedly, one of the most challenging phases of my life.

"Failing at what could have been the pinnacle of my career left me questioning my abilities."

The dancer said during this period of time, her motivation suddenly became "an uphill battle", even for simple tasks like going for a walk.

"Failure had cast its shadow, branding me as a 'not good enough' in my own mind," she penned.

However, she bounced back the following year, reaching the semi-final with EastEnders actor Jake Wood.

The mother-of-one danced on the show for seven years before transitioning to present Strictly: It Takes Two in 2021.

Her departure from the dance floor followed her first ever Strictly final with singer HRVY in 2020.

Since then, Janette has returned to the main show in a supportive role for Aljaz, who has made a comeback with new celebrity partner Tasha Ghouri after a three-year hiatus.