Lauren Oakley to Train with JB Gill on Strictly Following Amy Dowden’s Collapse

Professional dancer Lauren Oakley from Strictly Come Dancing has begun training with celebrity contestant JB Gill. This follows Amy Dowden’s collapse backstage during the main show on Saturday night. Oakley is scheduled to rehearse with Gill, the JLS singer, on Monday. The date of Dowden’s return to the series remains unconfirmed. On Saturday, an ambulance was summoned to Elstree Studios in Borehamwood after Dowden reported feeling unwell. She had rejoined the Strictly line-up this year, having been absent from the 2023 series following a breast cancer diagnosis. A spokesperson representing the dancer stated that the ambulance “was called as a precaution” and confirmed that she was now “feeling much better”. Oakley, who does not have a celebrity partner for the current year, became part of the BBC programme in 2022. In 2023, her partner was Channel 4 news presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy, with whom she placed eighth. Gill and Dowden achieved a score of 32 on Saturday evening for their foxtrot performance to Toploader’s “Dancing In The Moonlight”. Dowden was absent from the results show broadcast on Sunday evening, having been transported to hospital prior to its filming. The dancer initially received a diagnosis of stage three breast cancer at age 32 in May 2023. This occurred after she discovered a lump in her breast the day before her honeymoon. The now 34-year-old was subsequently diagnosed with “another type of cancer” later that year and commenced chemotherapy. In August 2024, she returned to hospital for additional tests, prompted by doctors’ concerns regarding breast abnormalities identified during a check-up. She was subsequently declared to be in the clear. Dowden also lives with Crohn’s disease, a lifelong condition characterized by inflammation in parts of the digestive system. She has previously discussed the impact of this condition on her health. This content is copyrighted by BBC in 2024. All rights are reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for material found on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.