Strictly Come Dancing fans can get excited because Janette Manrara and Fleur East are officially returning as the hosts of Strictly: It Takes Two – and now we know the start date. 

The pair will once again guide Strictly viewers through all the behind-the-scenes action from the ballroom when the fan-favourite spin-off returns.

Here is everything you need to know about Strictly: It Takes Two; including who Janette and Fleur are, when the BBC show is back and what channel it is on.

Strictly: It Takes Two returns

Fans are eagerly awaiting the return of Strictly: It Takes Two now the main show is back. Strictly Come Dancing returned to BBC One on Saturday with a glittering launch show.

Viewers got to see this year’s 15 celebrities as they met their pro dance partners for the first time. There was also a special performance from pop star Jessie J and the return of 2024 winners Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell. The pair recreated their tear-jerking waltz to You’ll Never Walk Alone from last year’s series.

Strictly: It Takes Two is now gearing up to start. The show, hosted by former Strictly pro Janette and ex contestant Fleur East, kicks off once the main competition gets underway.

It means fans can suddenly get a daily fix of Strictly as the series runs up towards Christmas. It features behind-the-scenes footage from the training rooms and interviews with this year’s contestants and judges. Expect the return of experts, former Strictly pros and siblings, Joanne and Kevin Clifton. They will be sharing their thoughts, too.

Each week, the couple who are eliminated from Strictly during Sunday night’s Results show give an exit interview on Monday’s It Takes Two about their journey.

Who is Janette Manrara?

Janette Manrara has become one of the most recognisable faces in the Strictly family, but her path to stardom wasn’t the most conventional. She was born to Cuban parents in Miami, and originally pursued a career in finance. She studied the subject at Florida International University and even worked in a bank for seven years.

However, dancing was always a passion of hers, even though she started training relatively late at the age of 19. Janette quickly mastered a wide range of styles, including ballroom, ballet, jazz, salsa, and hip hop. Her big break came when she became a finalist on US show So You Think You Can Dance? in 2009.

Janette went on to dance at the Academy Awards, performed alongside Jennifer Lopez, and she appeared as a principal dancer on hit TV series Glee.  Janette also toured the world in the stage show Burn the Floor.

In 2013, Janette joined Strictly Come Dancing and enjoyed a glittering run as one of the show’s pros, partnering with celebrities including EastEnders actor Jake Wood, JLS star Aston Merrygold, and Paralympian Will Bayley. Her most successful year came in 2020, when she and pop star HRVY made it all the way to the grand final.

In 2021, Janette hung up her ballroom shoes as she transitioned into presenting, taking over from Zoe Ball as co-host of It Takes Two. Janette has called hosting “the most natural progression” of her career.

Strictly fans will know Janette is married to fellow show pro, Aljaž Škorjanec. This year, Aljaž is partnered with La Voix on the show. Janette and Aljaz have a two-year-old daughter called Lyra.

Who is Fleur East?

Fleur East is a multi-talented performer whose career has spanned music, radio, television, and now theatre. She first appeared on The X Factor in 2005 as part of girl group Addictiv Ladies. However, Fleur truly made her mark when she returned to the competition in 2014 as a solo artist. Her jaw-dropping semi-final performance of Uptown Funk went viral and she finished the series as runner-up.

Fleur quickly built on that success, releasing her debut album Love, Sax and Flashbacks in 2015. Her hit single, Sax, was featured in it. She later released an R&B follow-up record, Fearless, in 2020.

Fleur has also carved out a career in broadcasting. She currently fronts the Hits Radio Breakfast Show, where she conducts fun interviews with celebrity guests. Fans also saw another side to her when she entered the I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! jungle in 2018, and finished fourth.

In 2022, Fleur joined Strictly Come Dancing and became one of the standout stars of the series. She topped the leaderboard multiple times with her pro partner, Vito Coppola, and made it all the way to the final. This earned her a place on the 2023 Strictly Live Tour.

Fleur’s Strictly journey didn’t end there, as she bagged the role of Strictly: It Takes Two host in 2023 when Rylan Clark stepped down. At the time she told fans she was “so excited to officially join the Strictly family” and promised to bring insights from her own experience as a contestant.

Fleur is mum to one-year-old daughter Nova. She and husband Marcel Badiane-Robin became parents in March 2024.

Previous It Takes Two hosts

Strictly: It Takes Two first launched in 2004 with Claudia Winkleman at the helm. She hosted the spin-off until 2011 before Zoe Ball took over, fronting the show for a decade until her departure in 2021.

Janette then stepped into Zoe’s shoes, joined by Rylan Clark as co-presenter. This pairing lasted until Rylan announced his exit in 2023. Fleur was then confirmed as his replacement, officially teaming up with Janette from series 21.

When does Strictly: It Takes Two start?

Strictly: It Takes Two returns to BBC Two on Monday September 29. The episode will air from 6.30pm to 7pm. The show will then run every weeknight throughout the competition at the same time.

Its return coincides the first Strictly Come Dancing live show, which will see the contestants taking to the ballroom in their pairs for the first time. Although the public vote does not open until Week 2, the celebrities and their pros will still be scored by the judges.

Strictly Come Dancing returns this Saturday (September 27) at 6.55pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Read more: Strictly Come Dancing 2025: When the next episode is on, when you can vote and the first dances revealed

Strictly Come Dancing will start airing regular episodes on BBC Two beginning September 29 at 6.30pm.