Husband and wife duo, Aljaž Škorjanec and Janette Manrara are used to wrapping their limbs around strangers and gazing deep into their eyes.

Does either of the Strictly Come Dancing stars experience even a tinge of jealousy when they see their other half entwined with someone else on the dance floor?

"No, because, in the end, any passion is manufactured. Dancing is acting. It’s telling a story with conviction. But it’s not real," says Aljaz.

Janette, 35, adds: "Funnily enough, Gemma Atkinson and I were talking about this when she was Aljaž’s partner in 2017. She asked me if it was all right to look into his eyes. I told her she must because otherwise how could she convincingly put across a Paso Doble, for instance?"

So, the Strictly Curse is a nonsense?

"I always say that, for me and Aljaž, Strictly is a blessing," stresses Janette.

"And so many other strong relationships have come out of Strictly. Look at Gorka and Gemma. Look at Rachel Riley and Pasha. Why focus on the negatives?’

Aljaž, 28, agrees: "If your relationship at home is secure, you have nothing to worry about."

It also annoys him that all the professionalism and hard work that go into perfecting a dance routine can be overshadowed by speculation on a particular couple’s relationship away from the dance floor.

The couple are just about to appear in their new show Remembering The Movies in Carlisle at the end of the month.

It features dance routines from a host of much-loved Hollywood greats.

But all the tours and personal appearances they have enjoyed would never have happened, of course, if it hadn’t been for the biggest show on British TV.

"We both joined Strictly in 2013," says Janette.

"It changed our lives completely – and 150 per cent for the better. Up until then, our careers were in a sort of limbo. So to get to do the best TV show in the UK with my boyfriend and then fiancé and now husband… well, it doesn’t get much better."

But it means they’re living and working together 24/7. Doesn’t Aljaž sometimes get on her nerves?

She laughs happily: "Absolutely not. He makes me smile all the time. And we were friends first which I think is important."

Aljaž adds: "It took me a year to persuade to go out on a date."

Meanwhile, Janette is harbouring plans to branch out in her career at a later date.

She explains: "I’ve started a new project on my You Tube channel where I interview celebrities and I’m loving it.

"If I could wave a magic wand, I’d like to become the Ellen DeGeneres of the UK in a few years from now. That’s my dream."

She has her husband’s support all the way: "She’d be amazing because she has an instant rapport with people and she’s a complete natural in front of the cameras as anyone who’s seen her on Zoe Ball’s spin-off It Takes Two show will know."

But for now, they're both focussed on the Remembering The Movies tour.

"The movies week on Strictly is one of my favourites," says Janette.

"And the lovely thing is that, if it’s the success we’re sure it’s going to be, we can do it again the following year and feature a whole range of different films. This one could run and run," adds Aljaz.

Remembering the Movies, The Sands Centre, Carlisle, March 30 For tickets, click on www.thesandscentre.co.uk or call 01228 633766