Amy Dowden dramatically quits ENTIRE series of BBC Strictly Come Dancing in shock development

Dancer Amy Dowden was tonight forced to quit Strictly Come Dancing after breaking a bone in her foot.

The professional dancer - recovering from breast cancer - suffered the injury in the days ahead of the show on 26 October. Now doctors have told her to rest indefinitely in order to allow the injury to recover, meaning her partner JB Gill will dance with Lauren Oakley for the rest of the series.

Tonight she spoke of her heartache at having to pull out.

She said: "My heart is breaking right now. The past few months I finally felt like me again. Cancer was no longer the first thing I thought of when I woke up. It was choreography, music choices, which dances in which order, what we needed to work on. I felt free again. My goal since hearing those words you have cancer was to get back on the strictly dance floor. It's been such a challenge to get back, one I devoted 2024 too.

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"Which with my incredible team we got there. Something I wanted to do for myself and loved ones. There was no feeling like it dancing again in the ballroom with my strictly family. Then I was partnered with the talented ,kind, gentle soul JB. Every day our training room was chilled, hardworking and full of big smiles enjoying what we was creating together with a blossoming friendship. JB thank you for being the perfect partner back. We topped the leader board week one and continued to work so hard and thank you for being so passionate about understanding the ballroom and Latin fundamentals. For me that rumba will always be one of my favs . I'm so sad, so upset and asking why me, why now that our journey has been cut short.

"My heart right now is breaking having to pull out of the competition due to a foot injury and I know only too well 'this too shall pass' and l'll be soon better and back dancing. Something l've had to get used to in my life. I'm sure at some point we will dance again JB. To all the fans, to my loved ones, my strictly family thank you. I know you and Lauren will continue to ace that dance floor . I'll forever be your biggest cheerleader."

A Strictly Come Dancing spokesperson said: “Sadly, Amy Dowden MBE will not be partaking in the rest of the competition this year. Whilst Amy focuses on her recovery following a foot injury, fellow professional dancer, Lauren Oakley, will step in as JB’s dance partner. The health and wellbeing of everyone involved in Strictly are always the utmost priority. The whole Strictly family sends Amy love and well wishes.”

Her manager Andrew Wilson said Amy was desperately upset to have to pull out of the hit show that she had to miss altogether last year while receiving chemotherapy treatment for her cancer.

But he stressed that she was expected to make a full recovery within the next few weeks. “Amy is hoping to be able to dance again on Strictly before the end of the series,” he said. “It is a different injury to the one she had a year ago. It’s the same foot but a different bone. It’s just terribly bad luck.

“She did it during training, it was one of those things, nobody’s fault, but it got worse over the next few days."

Millions of viewers saw her cheering on JB on Saturday in the studio. Andrew added: "With this injury, there is no outward sign, she is ok to walk around, but she can't wear heels."

On October 26 Amy needed medical attention after dancing in the Halloween special with JB with presenter Tess Day announcing Amy would not appearing on the Sunday results show because she was unwell. It was later announced that Lauren, who did not have a celebrity partner this year, would stand in for her with JB for just one week. On Saturday she was tearful as the pair danced the Couple’s Choice routine that she had choreographed - and the JLS singer got his first tens of the series.

For icons week, JB and Lauren, 33, danced to a medley of Bruno Mars hits. Following their performance, an emotional Amy struggled to hold back her tears as they earned 39 points. Telling Lauren she was “so grateful” for how she’d stepped in, she admitted to JB: "I wish I was there with you, you were amazing!”

Amy has had a lot of bad luck when it comes to health issues. She has suffered from Crohn’s disease since childhood, and then was diagnosed with breast cancer aged just 32, days before she was due to go on honeymoon.

After receiving treatment throughout 2023, she suffered another setback with a broken foot last November. She has said that striving to get back to Strictly Come Dancing was one of the factors that most helped her to get through her cancer treatment.

Fans were thrilled to see her back on the show and she received huge support when she had to sit out on Saturday. "I adore Amy she deserves the world and more,” one wrote, with another adding: ”Seeing Amy cry has made me cry. She should've been on that dance floor.”

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