Joanne Clifton has shared one of the happiest announcements of her life — she is expecting her first child with fiancé AJ Renk.
The 42-year-old former Strictly Come Dancing professional revealed the wonderful news in a characteristically sweet and understated way, posting a photograph of a “Baby on Board” badge before AJ added his own hilarious touch to the announcement.
And for anyone who remembers watching Joanne lift the Glitterball trophy in 2016, it feels like the beginning of a beautiful new chapter.
The couple revealed that their baby is expected to arrive in December, with AJ joking about their apparent struggle to choose a name by inventing an extraordinarily long combination inspired by famous names from football, music and entertainment.
“Can’t wait to meet ” he joked.
It was exactly the kind of playful announcement that seemed to capture the couple’s relationship — warm, funny and completely without fuss.
Congratulations quickly poured in from Joanne’s former Strictly family.
Dianne Buswell, who has experienced the joy of becoming a mother herself, sent her congratulations, while Oti Mabuse also celebrated the happy news.
Joanne’s brother Kevin Clifton responded with a string of hearts, a simple but touching reaction to the news that his family is about to welcome a new little member.
For Joanne and AJ, the pregnancy comes during an already exciting chapter in their relationship.
The couple, who have been together since 2020, announced their engagement in September with the same wonderfully casual humour they have now brought to their baby announcement.
“Got bored … so we’re getting married. Cheers,” they joked alongside a photograph showing Joanne’s diamond ring.
Their love story is particularly charming because Joanne once believed she would never date someone from the entertainment industry.
Before meeting AJ, she had apparently made herself a rule: no relationships with anyone from showbusiness.
Then life had other ideas.
Joanne went to see AJ performing in the Buddy Holly musical, he invited her for a drink, and despite initially being convinced that the relationship probably wouldn’t work, the pair fell in love.
Years later, they are engaged and preparing to become parents together.
It is a lovely reminder that sometimes the chapters we never planned become the ones that change our lives most profoundly.
Joanne’s journey since leaving Strictly has certainly been filled with unexpected turns.
She became one of the programme’s most memorable professional dancers and achieved the ultimate triumph in 2016 when she and Ore Oduba lifted the Glitterball trophy.
Rather than remaining with the show after reaching that extraordinary high, Joanne chose a different path.
She stepped away from Strictly and threw herself into musical theatre, building an impressive stage career that has included productions such as The Addams Family, Shrek the Musical, Flashdance and The Rocky Horror Show.
She has also remained connected to the world of Strictly through her appearances on It Takes Two, including the popular “Choreography Corner” segment.
But her career has not been without challenges.
In 2021, Joanne revealed that she had been diagnosed with osteoarthritis after first noticing serious problems with her knee during the Strictly tour years earlier.
She recalled waking up to discover that one knee had become extremely swollen and stiff.
For a professional dancer whose career had been built around movement, such a diagnosis could understandably have been frightening.
Joanne later spoke openly about initially associating arthritis with being much older before learning that the condition can affect people at many different ages.
Yet she refused to allow the diagnosis to define what came next.
She continued performing, acting and building a career beyond the ballroom.
That resilience makes her latest announcement feel especially uplifting.
Joanne’s life has already taken her from competitive dancing to the Glitterball trophy, from the ballroom to major theatre stages, and through health challenges that forced her to rethink how she treated her body.
Now comes an entirely different adventure.
Motherhood.
There will be no judges holding up score paddles, no choreography to perfect and certainly no rehearsals capable of preparing someone completely for what comes next.
But judging by the humour and happiness surrounding Joanne and AJ’s announcement, they appear more than ready to embrace the unpredictability of it all.
By December, their world is expected to look very different.
And after years spent dancing through some extraordinary chapters, Joanne Clifton is now preparing for perhaps her most personal role yet — becoming a mum for the very first time.
