Strictly’s JB Gill insisted the ‘show must go on’ as he gushed over his new dance partner Lauren Oakley on Wednesday’s episode of Loose Women.
JLS star JB, 37, is now paired with Lauren, 33, after his original dance partner Amy Dowden, 34, was forced to pull out of the competition this week due to a foot injury.
The duo joined panelists Charlene White, Judi Love, Brenda Edwards and Coleen Nolan for their first joint interview together since the news was announced.
Charlene began by asking the popstar: ‘Does it feel strange after so many weeks of saying JB and Amy to you being introduced as JB and Lauren?’
‘So strange,’ he admitted,’ I’ve definitely not gotten used to it, but yeah it’s one of those things of course.
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Strictly ‘s JB Gill insisted the ‘show must go on’ as he gushed over his new dance partner Lauren Oakley on Wednesday’s episode of Loose Women
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JLS star JB, 37, is now paired with Lauren, 33, after his original dance partner Amy Dowden , 34, was forced to pull out of the competition this week due to a foot injury
‘No one would have ever wished for an outcome like that but you know the show must go on and you have to deal with it.
‘Of course, the most important thing for us is that Amy gets better and gets time to rest.’
Discussing the challenges the pair have faced since being partnered together, Lauren admitted that it’s taking time to get used to.
She explained: ‘You have to get used to each others bodies. JB is used to dancing with Amy who is completely different proportions, different height, different limb length for example.
‘But it’s also about getting used to the teaching style I use and then trying to understand how JB listens and understands things in the training room.’
The professional dancer said it was ‘such a thrill to be out there on Saturday,’ when she and JB got a near perfect score for their couples choice to a medley to Bruno Mars.
Meanwhile, JB gushed: ‘It’s been amazing with Amy and now of course it’s going to be amazing with Lauren. She’s a fantastic dancer.’
He revealed: ‘I said to her in week one, “you’re an amazing dancer,” that dance that she did with the guest act was just unbelievable,’ as Charlene added that their partnership was ‘written in the stars’.
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It was confirmed on Monday’s episode of It Takes Two that Amy will not return for the rest of the series, as she recovers from a ‘foot injury’
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Fellow professional Lauren was drafted in as her replacement to perform with JB
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The duo joined panelists Charlene White, Judi Love, Brenda Edwards and Coleen Nolan for their first joint interview together since the news was announced
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On Loose Women, JB said: ‘Of course, the most important thing for us is that Amy gets better and gets time to rest’
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He also lifted the lid on an adorable pre-show ritual he always does with his wife Chloe, who is also a dancer
He also lifted the lid on an adorable pre-show ritual he always does with his wife Chloe, who is also a dancer.
Judi asked: ‘Your wife is a dancer, you have a special ritual that you do before you go on?’
The Strictly star explained: ‘As I come down the stairs to do my walk down, I always try and look for her in the audience. She always says to me ‘Don’t do that because if I’m not sat in that place, you’ll be like this (shaking his head) the whole time!
‘I did it as a kid! I always used to look for my mum or my dad or someone on the sidelines. I think it’s just a habit that’s died hard, usually, I find her pretty quickly then it erases all the nerves.’
Just before the show aired, JB took to Instagram to share his appreciation for Amy in a long heartfelt message, following the sad news of her stepping down as his dance partner.
The popstar wrote: ‘What a wild couple of weeks it’s been but I just want to say how grateful I am to Amy Dowden for everything she’s done as my partner to date.
‘We were both SO excited to work together when we found out we were going to be partners earlier this year.
‘We talked and talked and talked in the holding room after we were paired, about life and aspirations and setting the groundwork to our involvement in a fabulous 20th series of Strictly Come Dancing.’
He gushed: ‘It was like we’d been friends forever and as a friend, it’s been heartbreaking seeing the wonderful journey we’d begun come to a halt. That said, I have nothing but admiration for you.
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Just before the show aired, JB took to Instagram to share his appreciation for Amy in a long heartfelt message, following the sad news of her stepping down as his dance partner
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The popstar wrote: ‘What a wild couple of weeks it’s been but I just want to say how grateful I am to Amy Dowden for everything she’s done as my partner to date
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He gushed: ‘It was like we’d been friends forever and as a friend, it’s been heartbreaking seeing the wonderful journey we’d begun come to a halt’
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JB emotionally penned that Amy would give ‘anything’ to be dancing on the ballroom floor and he feels ‘honoured’ to have shared it with her for six weeks
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He concluded the tear-jerking post with: ‘Thank you for being the best teacher and helping me to fall in love with new styles of dance week after week after week’
Their Strictly co-stars, such as Tess Daly, Shirley Ballas, and Vito Coppola, rushed to the comments to share their support, with Lauren also commenting some heart emojis
‘Your fight and determination are second to none. Your dedication to your art shines through in your passion for what you love.’
JB emotionally penned that Amy would give ‘anything’ to be dancing on the ballroom floor and he feels ‘honoured’ to have shared it with her for six weeks.
He concluded the tear-jerking post with: ‘Thank you for your patience and support through every week. Thank you for trusting me with your creativity, doing everything in your power to enhance my ability and make it resonate on a Saturday night.
‘Thank you for being the best teacher and helping me to fall in love with new styles of dance week after week after week.
‘You are one of life’s special people and although our strictly journey ends here, you will dance again and I know it won’t be the end of our partnership.
‘Our memories and moments will forever be in strictly history and I have no doubt you’ll be back, stronger and better than ever. God bless you always.’
He accompanied the heartfelt message with a slew of snaps of himself and Amy behind the scenes.
Their Strictly co-stars, such as Tess Daly, Shirley Ballas, and Vito Coppola, rushed to the comments to share their support, with Lauren also commenting some heart emojis.
Amy, who is understood to be in remission from breast cancer and has Crohn’s disease, had to officially bow out of the competition due to a ‘foot injury’ after collapsing backstage last week.
While she can no longer be partnered with JB Gill, she is hoping to return to the show in a matter of weeks to take part in a dance routine.
Her spokesperson told The Mirror that she is expected to make a full recovery by then.
They said: ‘Amy is hoping to be able to dance again on Strictly before the end of the series. 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.
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While Amy can no longer be partnered with JB, she is hoping to return to the show in a matter of weeks to take part in a dance routine
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The professional dancer, 34, who is understood to be in remission from breast cancer and has Crohn’s disease, was revealed to not be returning on Monday due to a ‘foot injury’
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Following the news, Amy took to Instagram to share a post about her cancer journey and her time on Strictly, praising her partner JB and wishing him and Lauren luck
And her co-star wrote in the comments: ‘This too shall pass. We’re still a team. Love you. You did the ground work, I’ll carry your partnership forward and hopefully make you proud.’
‘She did it during training, it was one of those things, nobody’s fault, but it got worse over the next few days.
‘With this injury, there is no outward sign, she is ok to walk around, but she can’t wear heels.’
Taking to Instagram on Monday, Amy quipped: ‘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 to.’
‘With my incredible team we got there. Something I wanted to do for myself and my 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. Everyday out training room was chilled, hardworking and full of big smiles enjoying what we was [sic] creating together with a blossoming friendship’.
She continued: ‘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 all too well ‘this too shall pass’ and I’ll be soon better and back dancing. Something I’ve had to get used to in my life.
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A Strictly Come Dancing spokesperson made the announcement that Amy would not be returning on Monday
‘I’m sure at some point we’ll dance again JB. To all the fans, to my loved ones, my Strictly family thank you’.
Before adding that she knew JB’s new partner Lauren Oakley would continue to ‘ace the dance floor’ and promised to be the pair’s ‘biggest cheerleader’.
JB took to the comments writing: ‘Heartbreaking news @amy_dowden but our moments will be forever in strictly history, never forget that. Thank you for being the best teacher. Nothing but love from all of the Gill family’.
While Lauren wrote: ‘This too shall pass. We’re still a team. Love you. You did the ground work, I’ll carry your partnership forward and hopefully make you proud XXX’
It was confirmed on Monday’s episode of It Takes Two that Amy will not return for the rest of the series, as she recovers from the injury.
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.’
