Strictly's Amy Dowden to miss this week's show after collapse as BBC issue update
by Kathryn Riddell, Tom Bryant · ChronicleLiveStrictly Come Dancing's Amy Dowden will be absent from this Saturday's show, with fellow professional dancer Lauren Oakley stepping in to partner with JB Gill.
Lauren began training with the JLS star following Amy's unexpected collapse over the weekend.
BBC executives have now confirmed that Amy will not participate in Saturday's competition. A Strictly Come Dancing spokeswoman stated: "Amy Dowden MBE is doing much better and the Strictly family send her love and wish her well. She is delighted that fellow Professional Dancer, Lauren Oakley, is able to step in for rehearsals and to perform in Saturday's show for JB Gill's Couple's Choice dance. We are all hopeful that Amy will be back to dance with JB next week."
After feeling unwell, Amy missed Sunday's results programme and was taken to Barnet Hospital from the BBC One show's production centre, Elstree Studios, as a precautionary measure, according to her spokesperson.
On Monday (October 28), Fleur East confirmed the news while hosting Strictly spin-off It Takes Two. JB expressed his gratitude for the public's support after Amy's health scare during the show.
On Instagram, the JLS star wrote: "On behalf of both @amy-dowden 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 on @bbcstrictly Thank you, thank you, thank you for your support.", reports the Mirror.
Welsh dancer Amy Dowden, 34, had been undergoing treatment for breast cancer, including a mastectomy and chemotherapy, and recently made a return to the competition. Fellow Strictly stars and celebrities, including Dianne Buswell, Johannes Radebe, Jowita Przystal, Nancy Xu and radio DJ Gaby Roslin, showed their support with love hearts on his page.
Vicky Pattison wrote: "Smashed it babes."
Sarah Louise Merrygold, wife of JLS star Aston Merrygold, also commented: "Smashed it J Ballroom. Team JAmy smashing it again."
After their foxtrot to Dancing In The Moonlight by Toploader, Gill stood alone on stage as the results were read out, and he and Dowden avoided being in the bottom two. On Sunday, a spokesman for Amy stated: "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."
The BBC explained that due to unforeseen circumstances, Amy was unable to participate in the results show, which is recorded on Saturday after the live show and airs on Sunday.
An East of England Ambulance Service spokesman confirmed: "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."
Last year, before her honeymoon in the Maldives with fellow professional dancer Ben Jones, Amy Dowden discovered a lump in her breast. She was subsequently diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.
Following treatment, she joyfully announced in February that tests indicated she has "no evidence of disease". Moved by the positive impact of her documentary about living with Crohn's disease, which helped her "accept" her condition for the "first time ever", Dowden documented her experience.
She presented the BBC programme Strictly Amy: Crohn's And Me, where she discussed her own journey with Crohn's and connected with others affected by the condition. The NHS website describes Crohn's as a lifelong condition that causes parts of the digestive system to become inflamed, leading to symptoms such as stomach aches, fatigue, and diarrhoea.
During the 2022 Strictly live tour, Dowden had to be hospitalised in Manchester due to a Crohn's flare-up.
Join our WhatsApp communities
ChronicleLive is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our communities.
We have a number of communities to join, so you can choose which one you want to be part of and we'll send you the latest news direct to your phone. You could even join them all!
To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press 'join community'.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.
Join the ChronicleLive Breaking News and Top Stories community
Join our Court & Crime community
Join the Things to do in Newcastle and the North East community
Join our Northumberland community
Join our County Durham community
Join our Great North Run community