Strictly's Amy Dowden replacement confirmed as bosses intervene after pro dancer hospitalised after show
28 October 2024, 11:08 | Updated: 28 October 2024, 11:15
Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has been temporarily replaced following a sudden health scare backstage during Saturday’s live Halloween episode.
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The Welsh professional dancer, who is reportedly in remission after a recent battle with breast cancer, experienced a medical emergency and was taken to the hospital after collapsing at Elstree Studios, the BBC show’s filming location in Hertfordshire.
Earlier in the evening, the 34-year-old had performed a Foxtrot with her celebrity partner, JLS singer JB Gill, to the popular song "Dancing in the Moonlight" by Toploader.
In her absence, the show’s producers have arranged for professional dancer Lauren Oakley, who initially was without a celebrity partner for this season, to step in temporarily.
Oakley will take over Dowden’s role until she recovers and is ready to return to the competition.
JB Gill has thanked the public for their support after his Strictly Come Dancing professional partner Amy Dowden was taken to hospital following a health scare during the show.
The 34-year-old Welsh dancer missed Sunday's results programme after "feeling unwell" and being taken to Barnet Hospital from the BBC One show's production centre, Elstree Studios, as a "precaution".
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On Instagram, JLS star Gill wrote: "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."
This year, Dowden returned to the competition after undergoing treatment for breast cancer, including having a mastectomy and chemotherapy.
Gill's post received messages from fellow Strictly stars and celebrities.
Dancers Dianne Buswell, Johannes Radebe, Jowita Przystal and Nancy Xu, as well as radio DJ Gaby Roslin, all commented with love hearts on his page.
Former Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison wrote: "Smashed it babes."
Sarah Louise Merrygold, wife of JLS star Aston Merrygold, wrote: "Smashed it J Ballroom. Team JAmy smashing it again."
Gill stood alone on stage as the results were read out, which saw him and Dowden escape being in the bottom two after their foxtrot to Dancing In The Moonlight by Toploader.
A spokesman for Dowden said on Sunday: "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 said "due to unforeseen circumstances" she was "unable" to be part of the results show, which is recorded on Saturday after the live show, and airs on Sunday.
An East of England Ambulance Service spokesman said: "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, Dowden found a lump in her breast while on her honeymoon in the Maldives 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".
Dowden 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".
She fronted the BBC programme Strictly Amy: Crohn's And Me, in which she 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, Dowden was admitted to hospital in Manchester following a Crohn's flare-up.
