Janette Manrara and Aljaz Škorjanec have become the latest Strictly Come Dancing couple to welcome a baby together, just days after their good friends Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Marquez shared the news of their second child’s arrival.
So which other sequined show couples have settled down away from the dancefloor and started a family? Turns out there must be something in the water, because the BBC show is responsible for quite the miniature population boom…
Janette Manrara and Aljaz Škorjanec
Thirteen years after meeting in 2010 while performing in live dance show Burn The Floor, 39-year-old Janette and husband Aljaz, 33, welcomed their first baby on July 28. Little daughter Lyra Rose was born in hospital in London, before the little family drove back to their new home in Cheshire, which they’ve recently had renovated.
Janette and Aljaz with Lyra Rose (jmanrara and aljazskorjanec/Instagram)
Couple on Strictly (Mike Marsland/WireImage)It Takes Two host Janette shared a snap of Slovenian dancer Aljaz taking a nap on the floor next to their snoozing newborn, writing: “My heart melted. Aljaz will not leave her side. He is such an incredible father already.” Watching him with Lyra is “so beautiful”, she continued. “It’s so great to see men really taking on being great fathers to their children these days. I feel very lucky in this moment to have such an amazing partner. Love you Bučko.”
The pair tied the knot in 2017 after competing against each other as Strictly professionals since joining the show in 2013. Aljaz won his first series with model partner Abbey Clancy, while Janette, who hails from Miami, Florida, came runner-up in the 2020 season when she was partnered with singer HRVY.
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Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Marquez
Ex-Emmerdale star Gemma, 38, met Gorka on the 2017 Strictly series, when she was partnered with Aljaz and Spanish pro Gorka, 32, was teamed up with singer Alexandra Burke - with both couples reaching the final where they lost out to Holby City star Joe McFadden.
The pair quickly fell for each other and officially got together the following year during the Strictly live tour. The happy couple moved in together in December 2018, a year after meeting, and had little daughter Mia in the summer of 2019. Last month radio presenter Gemma announced the birth of their second child, a baby boy called Thiago Thomas Marquez. “Our family is complete,” she gushed while sharing his first picture on Instagram.
Gemma with Mia
Gemma and Gorka on the show (Birmingham Mail)Both of their children will be at their wedding when they eventually make it up the aisle after Gorka popped the question on Valentine’s Day 2021. Gemma was forced to shelve plans for their big day when Gorka’s manic schedule only left them with four days off together in the whole of 2022, and she joked: “He’s got the two Strictly tours back to back, and then he’ll be going on Strictly in the autumn. We don’t even have a minute to sit down and begin making plans!”
Kevin Clifton and Stacey Dooley
Love bloomed on and off the dancefloor for 2018 Strictly champs Kevin and Stacey, who got together months after 40-year-old Kevin’s split from his third wife, fellow Strictly professional Karen Hauer. He and TV presenter Stacey, 36, moved in together after a whirlwind romance, and in August last year Stacey announced the happy news they were expecting their first baby together.
In January 2023 the pair welcomed daughter Minnie, with Stacey writing on social media: “Our Daughter is here. My little masterpiece! I’m COMPLETELY OBSESSED. Love you Minnie, Love you Kev x.” Opening up about her first few months of motherhood recently, Stacey praised Kevin, saying she couldn’t do it without him. “It’s weird. I’ve always loved him, but it’s a different love I have for Kev now,” she admitted.
Rachel Riley and Latin champ Pasha Kovalev
Countdown’s Rachel fell for Latin champ Pasha, 43, when they were paired together for Strictly 2013, and they tied the knot in an intimate Las Vegas ceremony in June 2019. First daughter Maven arrived in 2019, followed by little Noa in 2021 - and they’ve yet to get back to dates since Rachel’s been breastfeeding. “All the romance and dates… we just kind of put a pin in it,” she joked. “We’re both quite patient and we know that once Noa is off the boob, we’ll get there again.”
Rachel and Pasha with Maven and Noah (PA)Last year their household got even bigger when the celebrity couple welcomed a Ukrainian family seeking refuge into their home, which put Rachel, 37, off wanting any more children. “We’re done in terms of kids,” she admitted. “You can fit four in a hotel room or a car. So now when the girls grow out of clothes, they go to the charity shop. I’m not keeping them just in case. Since Maven was two-and-a-half there have been a lot of people in the house. We’ve had Sasha, Galya, Luba and Mykyta with us. I don’t think she remembers anything else.”
Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff
Rugby ace Ben fell head over heels for Russian blonde bombshell Kristina when they were partnered together for the 2013 series of Strictly. Fuelling speculation of the ‘Strictly Curse’ , the England player left his first wife Abby the following year after a 23-year marriage, during which they had twin daughters Harriette and Isabelle, now 15. Ben and Kristina welcomed their daughter Milena in 2016, and last year got engaged on a sun-drenched holiday to the Maldives, where he had arranged a romantic boat trip to a neighbouring island where ‘Will you marry me?’ was spelled out in the sand.
Kristina, Ben and Milena (krihanoff/Instagram)Speaking in February about the tough times their relationship has been through - including financial hiccoughs during Covid when their yoga studio was forced to shut throughout lockdown - Ben admitted that the honeymoon period had worn off, but their bond was stronger than ever. “Love has different meanings and for me, that’s a relationship with a partner who’s been through difficult times with me and together we move forward,” he added. “She’s the person I want in my life forever.”
Ola and James Jordan
Strictly stalwarts Ola and James are the longest-running couple to come from the show, even though they technically got together before the very first series. It was love at first sight for the two pros when they met at a dance competition in Blackpool in 1999, although James was dating another Polish dancer at the time. “He was tall and very good-looking, with slicked-back black hair and piercing blue eyes. His dancing was amazing,” Ola later recalled.
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She was astonished when the girlfriend rang her a few months later asking if Ola would like a dance trial with James, as they were both looking for new partners. Just two years after their successful trial run, the pair married in 2001 and joined the professional cast of Strictly in 2006. After being part of the show’s furniture for many years, Ola left in 2015 a year after her husband was axed.
Ola and James with Ella (Instagram/olajordan)
Ola and James on Strictly (PA)The pair spoke excitedly about trying for a baby, and in February 2020 little Ella was born via C-section after her parents turned to IVF during their three-year fertility journey. Opening up about the dramatic moment she was born, James said: “It’s horrible to watch someone you love go through surgery and you feel so helpless. Every time a machine made a noise I was asking what was going on. I couldn’t relax. I’m a control freak so it’s hard not to be able to do anything to help. Then came the Lion King moment when they held her up above the screen for us to see her. We burst into tears.”
Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova
Strictly professionals Lilia and Darren, who appeared on the show from 2004 until 2009, have been married for 23 years and share two daughters together. Valentina, now eight, came first, followed by her little sister in September 2020. “We are over the moon to announce a baby sister for Valentina!!” Darren wrote at the time.
Darren and Lilia with their daughters (liliakopylova1/Instagram)“Can’t tell you how proud I am of Lilia....... her strength, courage and perseverance to expand our family... love always.” The pair now run a home studio in Cheadle Hulme, South Manchester, where they teach Latin dance techniques to kids, teens and adults.
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