Exclusive: Janette Manrara opens up about feeling like a 'single mum' in emotional interview

Janette Manrara has spoken candidly about the reality of juggling motherhood alongside her presenting duties.

The TV star, who shot to fame on Strictly Come Dancing as a professional dancer, welcomed her first child - a daughter called Lyra Rose - with her husband Aljaz Skorkanec in July last year.

While the Miami-born pro quit Strictly back in 2020, she returned to our screens a year later on the BBC shows' spin off, It Takes Two.

During an exclusive chat with HELLO! regarding Action for Children's Secret Santa Giving Grotto, the 41-year-old refreshingly revealed that she sometimes feels like "she's doing it on [her] own a little bit" due to Aljaz's "crazy" Strictly schedule.

Of juggling her various commitments, she said: "I think the hardest bit has been the traveling up and down, because I have to take a train down once a week.

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"We stay in a hotel and, and because Aljaz's schedule is so crazy, I'm kind of doing it on my own a little bit. I kind of plan ahead and schedule the week without considering him in the picture because his schedule kind of changes daily with Strictly."

She continued: "So I keep saying to my friends that I feel like I'm a single working mum at the moment for the last three months. But Lyra is such a good baby and she's so content and she travels all right."

Despite these relatable struggles, Janette is supported by Aljaz whenever work permits. "I don't think I would have been able to do this without him," she admitted. "He's the most supportive husband and the best dad to Lyra."

Reflecting on one memorable moment, she continued: "I mean, he drove… Oh gosh, I get emotional thinking about it. I was having a bit of a rough day on my own because Lyra was kicking off a little bit and I was just exhausted because we're getting to the end of the run and I've been on my own with her for the last three months, and he drove 3.5 hours from being down in London to come up to see her, was here for literally three hours and then drove right back down on the same day… And that is the husband that really cares about his family."

Elsewhere, Janette dished on her upcoming Christmas plans, revealing that her brood are gearing up to visit Miami this year, having spent the previous year in Aljaz's native Slovenia.

"Every year, Aljaz and I take turns," she explained. "It's really lovely for Lyra because it'll be her first Christmas with my family in Miami, which is going to be really special."

"My parents go all out at Christmas - the decorations inside and outside the house are just next level."

Reflecting on her family's upcoming reunion, she added: "Christmas Eve dinner with our family is so important. We will do whatever it takes to make sure that on Christmas Eve we're sat down either at his family's house or my family's house, all of us together and just really enjoying each other's company.

"It's so hard for us living so far away from our families. And now that Lyra is in the picture, we feel it even more because she doesn't have her grandparents nearby or aunts and uncles nearby. It's just the three of us in the UK. So just being with our family is the biggest and most important thing."

For Janette, the festive period is also an important time "to give back in some shape or form." In November, she supported Action for Children's Secret Santa Giving Grotto with her daughter. The unique experience encourages visitors to make a donation and select a gift to support vulnerable children.

"And that's kind of a lesson that I want to teach her through life," Janette said of the experience. "That it is nice to get things in life - we all love presents and gifts, of course we do - but especially during this time of year when it's such a thing of getting presents for kids, it's nice to be able to teach them from an early age that we also give during this time of year."