Amy Dowden Confirms Withdrawal from Current Strictly Come Dancing Series

A spokesperson has confirmed that Amy Dowden, a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing, will not participate in the current series. This announcement follows Dowden’s hospitalization as a “precaution” two Saturdays prior, after she reported “feeling unwell” during the live broadcast. On Monday, the professional dancer expressed her heartbreak on Instagram, stating she was compelled to withdraw from the competition due to a foot injury. Her celebrity partner, JLS singer JB Gill, will now be paired with fellow professional Lauren Oakley. A representative for the BBC program indicated that the professional dancer would not rejoin the show as she “focuses on her recovery” from the injury. The spokesperson also conveyed that “The whole Strictly family sends Amy love and well wishes.” Last Saturday, Oakley filled in for Dowden, performing a Bruno Mars medley with JB Gill, which earned them 39 points. This score placed them at the joint top of the leaderboard, alongside former Love Island contestant Tasha Ghouri and her dance partner Aljaz Skorjanec. Dowden had rejoined the Strictly line-up for 2024, having been absent from the prior series following her breast cancer diagnosis. An ambulance was dispatched to Elstree Studios in Borehamwood two Saturdays ago after the dancer reported feeling unwell. The subsequent day, a spokesperson for Dowden clarified that the ambulance “was called as a precaution” and that she was “feeling much better.” However, a Strictly spokesperson issued a statement on Monday, confirming: “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 spokesperson emphasized that the “health and wellbeing” of all participants on the show remain “the utmost priority.” Subsequent to the announcement, Dowden shared her sentiments in an Instagram post: “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 dancefloor. It’s been such a challenge to get back, one I devoted 2024 to which, with my incredible team, we got there. Something I wanted to do for myself and loved ones.” She further stated: “There was no feeling like it, dancing again in the ballroom with [the] Strictly family.” Dowden also extended gratitude to her dance partner JB, expressing that she was “so sad, so upset and asking why me, why now that our journey has been cut short.” In response to her post, JB commented that “our moments will forever be in Strictly history.” Lauren Oakley subsequently pledged to “carry your partnership [with JB] forward and hopefully make you proud.” Strictly judge Motsi Mabuse also offered a reply, noting that Dowden’s courage and strength served as an inspiration. Dowden, then 32, received an initial diagnosis of stage three breast cancer in May 2023, having discovered a lump in her breast the day prior to her honeymoon. The now 34-year-old was diagnosed again later in the same year. She underwent further hospital tests in August 2024 due to doctors’ concerns regarding breast abnormalities identified during a check-up, subsequently receiving an all-clear. Dowden publicly discussed her experience with breast cancer in the BBC documentary, Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me, which aired in September. Additionally, she lives with Crohn’s disease, a lifelong condition characterized by inflammation of parts of the digestive system, and has previously addressed its impact on her health. Oakley, who was not assigned a celebrity partner for the current year, became part of the BBC show in 2022. In the previous year, Oakley competed with Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy, with the duo finishing in eighth place. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding their approach to external linking is available.