Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden will be temporarily replaced for rehearsals after a health scare that led to her hospitalisation over the weekend.
The 34 year old Welsh dance professional, who is partnered with JB Gill for the current series of Strictly, was absent from the results show following her collapse backstage just moments after the live episode air on BBC One on Saturday night.
Despite the scare, the pair have advanced to Idols week, but it since been reported that Strictly colleague Lauren Oakley, 33, will step in for Monday’s practice sessions as Amy recuperates. Lauren didn’t get paired with a celebrity this season so is free to help out at the last minute.
Amy’s celebrity dance partner JB thanked the public for their support on Sunday, hours on from her health scare. On Instagram, the JLS singer penned: “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.”
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Amy Dowden/Instagram)
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Amy returned to the Strictly Come Dancing this year after undergoing treatment for breast cancer, including having a mastectomy and chemotherapy. JB stood alone on stage during Sunday night’s pre-recorded Results Show, which saw him and Amyd escape being in the bottom two after their foxtrot to Dancing In The Moonlight by Toploader.
On Sunday, Amy’s spokesperson said: “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.”
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Amy found a lump in her breast while on her honeymoon in the Maldives last year with fellow professional dancer Ben Jones. She was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer and, following treatment, in February she announced that tests showed she has “no evidence of disease”.
The inspiring dancer documented her experience with cancer after seeing the impact on others of her documentary discussing her Crohn’s disease and how it had helped her “accept” her own condition for the “first time ever”. Amy fronted the BBC programme Strictly Amy: Crohn’s And Me, in which the Strictly star spoke about her battle with the condition and met other people with Crohn’s to hear about their experiences.
The lifelong condition, in which parts of the digestive system become inflamed, can cause stomach aches and cramps, fatigue and diarrhoea, among other symptoms, according to the NHS website. During the Strictly live tour in 2022, Amy was admitted to hospital in Manchester following a Crohn’s flare-up.