Strictly Come Dancing viewers have celebrated Amy Dowden’s return to the dancefloor as she appeared in a group routine during Saturday night’s final (14 December).
Those vying for the glitterball trophy in tonight’s final are Chris McCausland and his partner Dianne Buswell, Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola, Tasha Ghouri dancing with Aljaž Škorjanec and JB Gill and his pro partner Lauren Oakley.
Gill was formerly partnered with Dowden until she was forced to pull out of the competition after sustaining a stress fracture in her shin. She was advised by doctors to take several weeks off to recover, and therefore she was replaced by pro Oakley.
Follow along with our live coverage of the Strictly Come Dancing final here.
While Dowden could no longer compete in the competition, it seems her injury has healed in time for the final – as she smiled and winked at the camera when she appeared in a group dance for the show’s opening.
When fans noticed Dowden, they were delighted to see her dancing again, with one fan writing on X/Twitter: “So amazing seeing Amy back on the dancefloor.”
However, others remarked that they were sad she wasn’t competing with Gill. For the group routine, those competitively dancing in the final wore blue, while the rest of the professional dancers not competing in the final wore gold.
“I love this opening dance but I wish Amy was in the Blue too,” said one fan.
Another added: “Makes me sad to see Amy there without JB but so happy for Lauren.”
The Welsh dancer had returned for this year’s series in September after missing out last year while undergoing cancer treatment.
In May 2023, Dowden was diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of stage three breast cancer finding a lump in her breast the day before her Maldives honeymoon with fellow professional dancer Ben Jones.
She underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy and fertility treatment in those nine months and experienced a series of major setbacks in that time, including doctors finding a blood clot in her lung, getting sepsis and undergoing fertility treatment.
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On 9 November 2023, Dowden celebrated after she had completed all eight rounds of chemotherapy. She was told she had “no evidence of disease” in February 2024. At the time, she told fans she couldn’t wait to get back on the dancefloor.
Reflecting on missing out on the rest of the 2024 series, Dowden told Lorraine Kelly it would be “tough” to watch Gill perform without her.
Dowden said: “I am going to do my best not to cry,” as tears filled her eyes. “I am gutted it’s had to end this way,” she added. “I feel I have let JB down.”
Writing on Instagram on the morning of the Strictly final on 14 December, Dowden told Gill she was “so very proud” of him for making it to the final.
“Your talents and kindness have shone through,” she said. “I know your family are so proud of you.”
