2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Nicola Methven, Eve Macdonald)
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Tasha Ghouri and Aljaz Skorjanec wowed everyone on Strictly Come Dancing , scoring the first perfect score of the season with their stunning American Smooth, prompting even Craig Revel-Horwood to whip out his 10 paddle.
But what fans don't know is that Aljaz was a last-minute addition to the 20th series. He had previously left the show in 2022 after nine years but was quickly brought back when Graziano di Prima was let go by the BBC due to "unacceptable behaviour" towards his former partner Zara McDermott. Despite the sudden change, Aljaz confidently said: "I replaced nobody," making it clear that his return was on his own terms.
He explained: "I felt like coming back. I decided myself to step away, and then I came back into my own dancing shoes. And I'm still doing Strictly exactly the same way as I did before I left.
And I'm really happy. I'm proud of it." Aljaz, 34, has opened up about his journey on the show since he first joined in 2013 and revealed that that Karen Hauer is the only other pro dancer still there from his starting year, reports the Mirror .
He shared: I have always tried to do Strictly in my own positive way, focused on my celebrities 100% of the time. It feels even better second time around, to be honest. I feel like it's 2013 again, when I was a newbie doing this.
" After announcing his departure in March 2022 to pursue "lots of exciting stuff planned", his wife and fellow Strictly dancer, Janette Manrara , fell pregnant with their miracle baby Lyra. Aljaz made the heartfelt decision to focus on fatherhood: "I sort of made that conscious decision, as soon as she fell pregnant, that I'm going to put everything else on hold. I got to create this beautiful bond with my little girl.
I feel that it was the best decision I ever made, and the second best was coming back to Strictly." Now, since his return to Strictly, he and dance partner Tasha have impressively topped the leaderboard eight times over the 11 weeks, without ever facing the fear of the dance off. The former Love Island star, who was born deaf but uses a cochlear implant, was completely taken aback by their perfect score for their American Smooth.
Tasha said: "You could tell by our reactions we didn't expect it. It was emotional because we always say we dance with our hearts and this one had an extra special meaning. Craig likes to create suspense as well.
There was a long pause, and when I saw the one, zero I thought, 'Oh, my God.' To get that from Craig, it means a lot. He's a tough cookie to crack.
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