Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has said she would “do anything in the world” to be dancing again with her former celebrity partner JB Gill.
Earlier this month, the 34-year-old Welsh professional dancer was forced to pull out of the competition after sustaining a stress fracture in her shin. She has been replaced by fellow Strictly pro Lauren Oakley.
Gill and Oakley have been powering through despite the circumstances and came joint top of the leaderboard during Saturday night’s show alongside Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec, with each couple scoring 46 points.
The pair scored an impressive 39 for their energetic Charleston to “Yes Sir! That’s My Baby” by Firehouse Five Plus Two. Afterwards, they were victorious in the special Samba-thon competition, scoring first place, which gave them an extra seven points.
Dowden watched on from the studio balcony alongside her fellow professional dancers, dressed in a pink sparkly dress.
Dowden shared photos of herself with Gill following the live show, writing: “So proud of you @jbgill.
“Would do anything in the world to be out there on the floor with you but you are shining and everyone is seeing your talent! Thank you @laurenmayoakley.”
When she found out about her injury, Dowden had previously said she hoped to return to the dance floor in some capacity after a couple of weeks of rest. It’s unknown whether she will be able to dance again this season.
The Welsh dancer had returned for this year’s series after missing out last year while undergoing cancer treatment.
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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.
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.”
