BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Amy Dowden to miss show as pro steps in

Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden is set to miss this Saturday's show, and fellow pro Lauren Oakley will fill in to dance with JLS star JB Gill instead. After Amy's sudden collapse at the weekend, Lauren has been training with JB, and BBC bosses have confirmed that Amy will sit out the upcoming competition.

A Strictly Come Dancing spokesperson 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."

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Amy was absent from Sunday's results show after "feeling unwell" and was taken to Barnet Hospital from the BBC One show's production centre, Elstree Studios, as a precaution.

JB expressed his gratitude to the public for their support following Amy's health scare, writing on Instagram: "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."

Recently, Amy Dowden, 34, made a comeback to the show after undergoing treatment for breast cancer, which included a mastectomy and chemotherapy.

Fellow Strictly stars and celebrities showed their support in the comments section, with Dianne Buswell, Johannes Radebe, Jowita Przystal, Nancy Xu, and radio DJ Gaby Roslin all leaving love hearts. Vicky Pattison, a former Geordie Shore star, wrote: "Smashed it babes.", reports the Mirror.

Sarah Louise Merrygold, wife of JLS star Aston Merrygold, commented: "Smashed it J Ballroom. Team JAmy smashing it again."

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 announced that due to unforeseen circumstances, Amy was unable to participate in the results show, which is recorded on Saturday 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, while on her honeymoon in the Maldives with fellow professional dancer Ben Jones, Amy Dowden discovered a lump in her breast. She was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer and underwent treatment.

In February, she joyfully announced that tests showed she had "no evidence of disease". Moved by the impact of her documentary discussing her 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 explored her own journey with Crohn's and connected with others living with the condition. The NHS website describes Crohn's as a lifelong condition that can cause symptoms such as stomach aches, cramps, fatigue, and diarrhoea.

During the 2022 Strictly live tour, Dowden had to be hospitalised in Manchester due to a Crohn's flare-up.