Strictly’s Aljaz Škorjanec and wife Janette Manrara smile as they leave hotel amid huge backlash over his return to show
STRICTLY’S Aljaz Škorjanec and wife Janette Manrara today put on big smiles as they left a hotel amid the huge backlash over him returning to the show.
It comes after The Sun revealed how cast and crew on the hit BBC show have been left furious that he is back on the series.
But today the couple put any backlash behind them as they headed out.
The pair were all smiles as they left a hotel, with Ajaz, 34, even giving the thumbs up to show he was doing ok.
Meanwhile, earlier today The Sun revealed how the Slovenian dancer originally agreed to leave Strictly Come Dancing two years ago after an alleged incident on a boozy night out on the 2022 live tour.
However, he is now being brought back to join the line-up of Strictly’s pro-dancers for the 20th series, kicking off later this month.
Last night the BBC denied an official complaint was made over the alleged incident.
A BBC spokesperson said they did not recognise the claims against Aljaz and said it was his decision to leave in 2022
Aljaz announced he was leaving Strictly on March 28, 2022.
He previously spoke of the “tough decision” to leave the show in March 2022 and pursue his dreams of becoming an actor.
Aljaž’s return to Strictly was announced on The One Show in July, with the dancer, who is wed to Strictly: It Takes Two host Janette Manrara, saying: “I could not be more ecstatic to be back with the Strictly family.
“This year is such a special one for this legendary show, I can’t wait to be a part of it and make my return to the dancefloor.
But The Sun has revealed not everyone is happy about his return.
A source told us: “The older members of the team who worked with him the first time around are fuming he’s back and it’s causing big problems.
“After the incident on tour, some of the female dancers are livid he’s been reappointed and just don’t want to be around him.”
Aljaz first joined in the 11th series and won the Glitterball trophy with model Abbey Clancy.
In 2023, Aljaž admitted he struggled in his later years on Strictly.
He said: “A year and a half ago I hit an early midlife crisis and now I don’t know what I want to do in my life.
“I love talking now, so I love doing Q&As, birthdays, calls — don’t make me dance but I can talk for ages.”
Meanwhile, Aljaz has been brought back to replace Giovanni Pernice, who quit over abuse claims.
The BBC is due to announce the findings of the internal investigation into Giovanni’s case within days.
Strictly's full scandal so far
Strictly Come Dancing's scandal has been growing over the past few months, with several major players speaking out about what went on. Here are the key moments of what's happened so far
16th May: Giovanni Pernice sensationally quits Strictly Come Dancing after nine years on the show.
17th May: Giovanni becomes the centre of an official investigation after three former partners – believed to be Amanda Abbington, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh – make complaints to the BBC.
16th June: Giovanni releases an official statement vowing to clear his name and denies any wrongdoing.
8th July: Strictly confirms Aljaz Skorjanec will return to the series, replacing Giovanni, after initially quitting the show two years ago.
10th July: Amanda Abbington launches fresh legal proceedings to get the rehearsal footage from her time with Giovanni, after allegedly he refused to release the videos.
13th July: Graziano Di Prima is axed from Strictly for “gross misconduct” after footage of his treatment of Zara McDermott is brought to the attention of the BBC.
Graziano quickly broke his silence, apologising for his behaviour in a statement and saying he “deeply regrets it”, adding his “intense passion and determination to win might have affected his training regime.”
15th July: Strictly bosses implement new duty of care protocols, including having a chaperone present throughout all rehearsals.
16th July: Zara McDermott speaks out publicly for first time. She states while the production team were “amazing to work with”, she found the rehearsal room “completely different”, confirming there’s footage of “certain situations”.
19th July: Anton Du Beke is put under the spotlight for his “1970s attitude” and treatment of female celeb stars, particularly after allegedly referring to 2009 partner Laila Rouass as a “p***” after getting a spray tan.
21st July: Paralympian Will Bayley, who has limb condition arthrogryposis, revealed he was encouraged to leap from a table during a dance routine, despite fears. The stunt caused an injury that forced him to withdraw from the show.
22nd July: MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace admits he broke down in tears and got a nasty stress rash on his face during his time on Strictly in 2014.
22nd July: Despite ongoing issues, the Strictly professional cast begin rehearsals for this year’s series.
23rd July: Celebrity agent Melanie Blake claims she was sexually assaulted by an unnamed pro dancer while backstage on the show, and claims she witnessed ageism, rudeness and a rough treatment to the point of injury.
23rd July: Strictly is forced to beef up security after ‘an intruder scales the wall of the rehearsal studio’.
23rd July: BBC boss Tim Davie breaks his silence on the ongoing allegations against Strictly, saying he is ‘deeply sorry’, adding: “Hundreds of people, be they pros, contestants or crew have been part of it and had a brilliant experience.
“At the same time if someone thinks there was something wrong or they want to talk about their experience then of course we want them to raise that with us. Be in no doubt we will take it seriously, listen and deal with it as appropriate.”
24th July: Strictly 2023 star Krishnan Guru-Murthy holds a bombshell interview with Amanda Abbington on Channel 4 news, where she claims she was bullied, with some of the ‘humilation being of a sexual nature’.
27th July: Laura Whitmore releases a statement regarding her Strictly experience, saying “I thought my experience was specific to me but I’ve since learned I was wrong”.
She adds she is not part of the official complaint, but has come forward to support Amanda with the BBC, alongside others.
28th July: Laila Rouass speaks out against the accusations regarding Anton Du Beke, saying she “never felt pressured” by him and “personally insisted on six to seven hours training a day”.
10th August: Graziano breaks his silence on his Strictly axe, saying “these vile, false allegations have ruined my life.”
He also told of the “shocking” end to his friendship with Zara McDermott.
We also revealed that Amanda Abbington was also quizzed for a second time as Strictly execs recruited 15 new staff to monitor rehearsals.
11th August: Just as the investigation was expected to conclude, Amanda made a dramatic intervention. Giovanni was on the brink of being cleared until Amanda handed in more text messages.
24th August: Graziano Di Prima called in top lawyers to sue the BBC and to try to clear his name. He recruited big hitters Whitestone Chambers to fight his corner.
A source said: “They’ve also looked at his BBC contract and believe there are grounds to sue.”
Meanwhile, the BBC also delayed releasing the findings of the probe into Giovanni Pernice. The Sun revealed that the results of the three-month investigation were unlikely to be announced in August.