The Sound of Heaven
£9.99Amy Dowden, a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing, has fallen ill during filming and will be unable to participate in this week’s show. Fellow dancer Lauren Oakley will stand in for Dowden, paired with her celebrity partner JB Gill. The BBC confirmed that Oakley will train with Gill and perform on Saturday evening during the televised dance show and Sunday’s results show. A spokesperson for Dowden said that the ambulance called after she collapsed is a “precaution” and that the dancer is now feeling much better.
Dowden has already missed one series of the programme after a diagnosis of breast cancer. She was given the all-clear following further tests following abnormalities found during a check-up in August 2024. The 34-year-old dancer was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in May 2023, shortly after her wedding day. After chemotherapy, she was diagnosed with another form of cancer and went through further treatment.
Dowden also has a lifelong condition, Crohn’s disease, which causes inflammation in the digestive system. Her public battle with cancer and long-term health issues has served as an inspiration to many. Gill and Dowden received a score of 32 on Saturday night after dancing to Dancing in the Moonlight by Toploader, but Dowden then missed Sunday night’s show after being taken ill backstage.
Oakley, who does not have a celebrity partner this year, first appeared on the show in 2022. Last year, she danced with Channel Four News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy, finishing eighth. She will take over partner duties in Dowden’s absence this week. In a statement, the Strictly Come Dancing team said that Dowden was doing much better and that they were all hopeful of her return next week
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