After Tess Daly decided to take a year off to, I don’t know, polish her glitterball collection, the BBC needed a new co-host. Everyone assumed it was Fleur’s job to lose. She’d already slayed as a contestant in 2026—remember the Samba of Doom?—and filled in on It Takes Two like a pro.
But then, the rumour mill churned out the news. The gig went to Janette Manrara. Yes, the tiny ballroom powerhouse with biceps of steel. Fleur, in a recent chat, fessed up: “I was deeply disappointed.” She said it with a smile, but I bet her actual voice sounded like a deflating balloon.
A Cry in a Sparkly Closet
Let’s be real for a second. Fleur admitted she cried in the bathroom of the BBC studios. Look, we’ve all been there—except our bathrooms usually smell of bleach and regret, not professionally aired lavender. She said, quote, “I really wanted it. I thought I had it.” Ouch. That’s the kind of sting you feel when you drop your last chip on the floor.
The surprising fact here? Fleur later revealed she never expected to even get a callback. She applied thinking she’d get a polite “thanks, but no thanks” email. So her disappointment actually meant she had been allowed to dream, get excited, and then watch the dream run off with Janette. Cruel, universe. Cruel.
