Amy Dowden replacement is confirmed as show bosses step in

Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has been temporarily replaced by show bosses after suffering a 'medical emergency' backstage during Saturday's live Halloween special. 

The Welsh dancer, understood to be in remission from breast cancer, was admitted to hospital following a reported collapse at Elstree Studios, the BBC show's Hertfordshire base. 

Moments earlier, Dowden, 34, had performed the Foxtrot to Toploader hit Dancing In The Moonlight with her celebrity partner, JLS star JB Gill. 

But fans noted the dancer was partially seated during her latest performance.

Strictly bosses have since replaced her with professional dancer Lauren Oakley, who was originally left without a partner for this year's show, while she recuperates.

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BREAKING NEWS
Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden is rushed to hospital after suffering a 'medical emergency'

Oakley will rehearse with Gill in Dowden's absence after the singer avoided the dance-off, finishing fifth on the Strictly leader-board with a collective score of 32 from show judges Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel-Horwood and Anton du Beke. 

A source told The Sun: 'Lauren will be stepping in today to train with JB. It's unclear when Amy will be back but everyone just wants her to rest and get better.' 

Show insiders feared Dowden, who also battles Crohn's disease, could quit the show following her collapse on Saturday evening. 

The dancer, who missed the 2023 series of Strictly after being diagnosed with breast cancer, was forced to miss Sunday's Results show, which was pre-recorded shortly after her collapse on Saturday night. 

Now concerned insiders are worried she won't be able to continue the competition, given the severity of her incident.

An insider told The Sun: 'Amy was obviously in huge distress. Everyone around her was equally upset because they felt so helpless.

'JB had to be given a hug. Even the medic who first attended to Amy needed support and consolation.

'The only thing they could do was try to get her to hospital as quickly and safely as possible.'

Dowden was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer the day after she came home from her honeymoon with husband Ben Jones in 2023. 

In what became the toughest year of her life, the Strictly Come Dancing star underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy, fertility treatment and also almost died of sepsis.

The dancer has battled gut condition Crohn's disease since she was a child and said she has already been through 'quite a lot' in her life with health struggles.

Gill shared an Instagram message on Sunday as the pair made it through to another week, writing 'on behalf of both @amydowden and I.'

'I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone for voting for us and wishing us well. We absolutely loved our performance on Saturday night and are SO grateful to be through to another week Thank you, thank you, thank you for your support.'

Pete Wicks and fellow pro Dianne Buswell both posted heart emojis. Gill also reposted messages from fan accounts voicing their excitement that the pair would be competing for another week. 

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than two MILLION women a year

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Each year in the UK there are more than 55,000 new cases, and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it strikes 266,000 each year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?

What is breast cancer?

It comes from a cancerous cell which develops in the lining of a duct or lobule in one of the breasts.

When the breast cancer has spread into surrounding tissue it is called 'invasive'. Some people are diagnosed with 'carcinoma in situ', where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule.

Most cases develop in those over the age of 50 but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, though this is rare.

Staging indicates how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.

The cancerous cells are graded from low, which means a slow growth, to high, which is fast-growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they have first been treated.

What causes breast cancer?

A cancerous tumour starts from one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiply 'out of control'.

Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance, such as genetics.

What are the symptoms of breast cancer?

The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are not cancerous and are fluid filled cysts, which are benign. 

The first place that breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this occurs you will develop a swelling or lump in an armpit.

How is breast cancer diagnosed?

• Initial assessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may do tests such as a mammography, a special x-ray of the breast tissue which can indicate the possibility of tumours.
• Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.

If you are confirmed to have breast cancer, further tests may be needed to assess if it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound scan of the liver or a chest X-ray.

How is breast cancer treated?

Treatment options which may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments are used.

• Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or the removal of the affected breast depending on the size of the tumour.
• Radiotherapy: A treatment which uses high energy beams of radiation focused on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells, or stops them from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.
• Chemotherapy: A treatment of cancer by using anti-cancer drugs which kill cancer cells, or stop them from multiplying.
• Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the 'female' hormone oestrogen, which can stimulate the cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments which reduce the level of these hormones, or prevent them from working, are commonly used in people with breast cancer.

How successful is treatment?

The outlook is best in those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small, and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumour in an early stage may then give a good chance of cure.

The routine mammography offered to women between the ages of 50 and 71 means more breast cancers are being diagnosed and treated at an early stage.

For more information visit breastcancernow.org or call its free helpline on 0808 800 6000

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EXCLUSIVE
My Strictly dream came true. Then I got cancer, had a mastectomy and nearly died from sepsis

Dowden has so far not posted on social media since Saturday night. 

But fans rushed to X - formerly known as Twitter - to send the professional dancer well wishes and a speedy recovery.

'Sending our heartfelt best wishes for a speedy return to the studio! We love watching you and JB dancing!; Wishing best wishes and a speedy recovery to the wonderful, inspirational Amy Dowden.'

'Sending love & best wishes to #amydowden She is so inspirational... overcoming so much. Great to see her back on #Strictly Please be well enough to continue this series...'

'Sending lots of love to Amy Dowden. And I hope she is feeling so much better now; Hoping Amy Dowden is doing ok & wishing her well'

'Hope @AmyDowden feels better soon. Sending much love and prayers.'

Giving an update to viewers at home as she opened Sunday's results show, Tess Daly said: 'Amy is unable to be with us for tonight's show.'

Appearing solo on Sunday's show, viewers also saw Gill tell co-host Claudia Winkleman: 'Amy, of course is going to be so happy that we are through to Icon's week.'

A spokesperson for the East of England Ambulance Service said: 'We were called just after 9pm on Saturday to attend a medical emergency at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood.

'An ambulance was sent to the scene. One patient, an adult female, was transported to Barnet Hospital for further care.'

What is Crohn's disease?

Crohn's disease is an agonising digestive condition that blights the lives of 115,000 people in Britain and as many as 1.6 million in the US.

Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhoea and potentially dangerous weight loss. Magician Dynamo is a famous sufferer.

Eight out of ten patients will need a part of the intestine removed as it becomes so damaged it prevents digestion.

Its cause is still not known and there is currently no cure but some with the condition have considered their diet to be a factor.

However, bacteria is already known to play a major role in causing Crohn’s disease, in addition to genetics and diet.

Conventional treatment is with drugs that suppress the immune system's production of a protein called TNF, which causes inflammation. 

A statement from Amy's spokesperson confirmed: 'Amy was feeling unwell and so an ambulance was called as a precaution. 

'She is feeling much better and would like to thank the Strictly family for their love and concern.

'We request Amy's privacy in matters of health is kindly respected.'

Dowden's world came crashing down when she was diagnosed with cancer the day after she came home from her honeymoon with dancer husband Ben Jones in 2023.

The dancer had found a lump in her breast the day before she flew to the Maldives. 

While she hoped it could be cured by surgery, two months later in June doctors found another type of cancer.

While she will not get the all-clear for five years and will still need treatment, she thanked her family and friends for their support amid her 'toughest year'. 

Sharing a jubilant picture with Instagram followers, she wrote: 'NO EVIDENCE OF DISEASE! Words I dreamed of! My biggest accomplishment yet!

'I won’t be getting the all clear for 5 years especially with a hormone fed cancer. But it was all worth it. Words I never thought I’d hear at one point.

'So grateful for all the care I received and continue to have.

'To my husband, family and friends who supported me unconditionally and to you guys! Thank you!'

She continued: 'I will still need a monthly injection for 5 years and regular check ups.

'Chemo and this past year has certainly took its toll on my body both physically and mentally, so I’ll be taking the next few months to heal and recover.

'I have so much to strive and live for, and so grateful for another chance at life! Something I know not all get. I certainly see life differently and my life has changed forever!'

Dowden has previously documented her cancer battle in a fly-on-the-wall BBC documentary, Strictly Amy: Cancer And Me.

Filmed over 15-months, the show followed Dowden as she navigated surgery, chemotherapy, fertility treatment, and an uncertain future.

She said of the documentary, which aired in August: 'A year ago I was recently married and about to go on honeymoon, it was an exciting new chapter in my life, but finding a lump on my breast changed my life.

'I never thought at my age I would get cancer and, despite having family members and friends who were cancer survivors, had no idea just what the impact on my life would be.

'I’ve learnt so much about myself and what a cancer diagnosis means on this journey. I hope others find hope and strength from this film, and that it encourages everyone to check themselves, no matter what age you are.'

During the show, Dowden also revealed she was rushed back to hospital with a second cancer scare as doctors were concerned about abnormalities in her breast after a check-up.

She told viewers: 'It was a scare, such a worrying time.

'I'll never forget them calling me to say we're sorry but we've seen something we don't like the look of.

'I was in disbelief, I thought I can't go back through this again, I can't miss Strictly again. 

'My whole family were heartbroken.'

After shaving her head and inspiring others after she appeared on Strictly without a wig, Dowden admitted she had been targeted by online trolls. 

While she was supported by her parents, husband Ben and her Strictly family, the dancer also admitted even some of her friends who attended her wedding lost contact after her diagnosis.  

She said: 'When I had to tell Strictly, I was asking "Can I keep my job?" because that was the scariest thing.

'To dance at the highest level, you have to be as fit as an athlete. 

'I was scared about how treatment would affect my body.'

Discussing how her treatment wiped her out she added: 'I was gutted. It completely wiped me out for Strictly. 

'I was heartbroken because I wanted to be on the dance floor.'

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EXCLUSIVE
My Strictly dream came true. Then I got cancer, had a mastectomy and nearly died from sepsis

Her friend, Dragon's Den star Sara Davies, who competed on Strictly in 2021, recently revealed that she had to convince Dowden to go ahead with her treatment when it was offered because Amy was scared she'd miss out on her Strictly career. 

Businesswoman Sara said Dowden had been 'hardwired' to dance from a young age and the thought of taking time off to concentrate on her health scared her.

She told the Invite Only podcast: 'I spent a lot of time with her at the start of the cancer diagnosis when she wasn't feeling positive. She'd been dealt a bad hand and she was struggling with it.

'I knew then I needed to be the friend that was filling her tank, but also if you just want someone to give you a hug and tell you it's gonna be okay, I'm not the one to go to.

'I was the one who was like, 'What's the plan, Amy?' and pushing her to make difficult decisions. She wasn't sure if she was going to have chemo so we talked about that.' 

She added: 'What I've realised with the dancers is that from being little, they are hardwired to dance. And the biggest blow for her was, 'If I don't go down that route, I won't be able to do Strictly this year'.

'I had to look her in the eye and say, 'Amy, you've got cancer. They've literally just cut your boob off. They are telling you you need to have this chemo to get better. Don't worry about dance and Strictly'.

'Her response was, 'But they might not want me back next year'. So I said, 'Amy, you're amazing at what you do, of course they will want you back. You're so well-loved. Please, it's really important. Get well'.

'And then she went on the show without her wig as well. What a phenomenal moment. When I saw her, I cried.'

In July, Dowden paid an emotional tribute to her husband as she celebrated their second wedding anniversary. 

Alongside a selection of stunning photos from their wedding day, she wrote: 'Happy 2nd anniversary! I think it's fair to say we've been through quite a bit during married life. But I'm forever grateful for you! 

'Thank you for this past year! I know at times it's been so tough for you to watch but you kept positive, kept the house clean away from infections and tried to keep me as positive as possible.

'I love you even more! Let's hope for a smoother year ahead! But what I do know is we have each other! 

'More adventures, my crazy last min plans, house renovations, dance school fun and basically just us being us! Love you always.'

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