Strictly Aljaz

Strictly’s Aljaz became emotional on the spin-off show, It Takes Two (Image: BBC)

Strictly Come Dancing professional Aljaz Skorjanec was overcome with emotion as he shared a touching tribute to his daughter Lyra, which viewers might have missed. During Thursday’s instalment of the BBC spin-off show It Takes Two, Janette Manrara returned to the helm, where she introduced her husband’s segment on the show. During his 10-minute special, he reflected on his time on the long-running show, where he met his wife, had his child, and became a household name as a professional dancer.

However, viewers were forced to pass around tissues when he looked back on one routine, which he performed with his dance partner, Tasha Ghouri, back in 2024. The dynamic duo, who advanced all the way to the live finals, performed a superb American Smooth to “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi, which received a perfect score of 40 points.

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He began by showering the former Love Island star with praise, gushing: “Tasha Ghouri, the highest-scoring celebrity in the history of Strictly Come Dancing. The American Smooth with Tasha was one of the most meaningful dances for me ever.”

The doting dad went on to reveal that the performance was dedicated entirely to his firstborn child, who had just turned one at the time of the show. Aljaz continued: “It was dedicated to my little Lyra.

“Lyra is a little constellation of stars that we had projected behind us in a heart. I tried at home in my little kitchen to choreograph the pattern of that constellation on the floor.

“It was just endless, elegant perfection on Strictly, and I’m going to be showing this to my Lyra for years to come.” It was at this point that the TV star struggled to continue, taking a moment to compose himself before proceeding.

Strictly

The Lyra constellation was projected on the screen during the performance (Image: BBC)

At the time, head judge Shirley Ballas was astonished by the “beautiful” dance, stating: “Here we see the Rolls Royce of the American Foxtrot.” Fellow judge Anton du Beke was visibly enthused about Ghouri and Skorjanec’s “extraordinary” routine.

He gushed: “This is what it’s all about. It just makes me go, ‘This is why we dance.’ This is the point.” Lyra was described as a “miracle baby” by Manrara at the time of her birth after the couple had conceived naturally following years of attempts, just months before they were about to begin IVF.