Strictly’s JB Gill left rehearsals with his temporary partner Lauren Oakley on Tuesday after Amy Dowden was forced to pull out of this week’s show due to her health problems.
JB’s professional partner Amy, 34, was rushed to hospital after collapsing backstage during last week’s live show.
As she recovers, BBC announced that Lauren would step in for Amy on Saturday and dance with JLS star JB, 37.
JB and Lauren showed up in good spirits after a day of working together on JB’s Couple’s Choice routine at Bruno Mars for Icons Week.
BBC bosses have said they are ‘hopeful’ Amy will return next week.
Strictly’s JB Gill, 37, left with his temporary partner Lauren Oakley during rehearsals on Tuesday after Amy Dowden was forced to pull out of this week’s show following her health problems
His current professional partner Amy, 34, was rushed to hospital after collapsing backstage during last week’s live show
As she recovers, BBC announced that Lauren would step in for Amy on Saturday and dance with JLS star JB
A spokesperson for Strictly Come Dancing said: ‘Amy is doing much better. She’s thrilled that Lauren can fill in for rehearsals and perform in Saturday’s show for JB Gill’s Couple’s Choice dance.
“We’re all hopeful that Amy will be dancing with JB again next week.”
JB wrapped himself in a long, padded coat that he wore over a black T-shirt and Nike shorts.
He completed his sporty look with Adidas sneakers and carried a huge bottle of water with him for the day.
Paramedics were called to the show’s base in Hertfordshire after 9pm on Saturday evening following reports of a ‘medical emergency’.
A spokesperson for the East of England Ambulance Service said: ‘We were called to a medical emergency at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood just after 9pm on Saturday.
‘An ambulance was sent to the scene. One patient, an adult female, was transported to Barnet Hospital for further care.”
Moments earlier, the dancer had performed Foxtrot to Toploader hit Dancing In The Moonlight with her celebrity partner, JLS star JB Gill.
But fans noticed that the dancer was partially seated during her final performance.
BBC bosses said they were ‘hopeful’ Amy will return next week
A spokesperson for Strictly Come Dancing said: ‘Amy is doing much better. She is happy that Lauren can fill in for rehearsals and perform in Saturday’s show.”
JB wrapped himself in a long, padded jacket that he wore over a black T-shirt and Nike shorts
He completed his sporty look with Adidas sneakers and carried a huge bottle of water with him for the day
Paramedics were called to the show’s base in Hertfordshire after 9pm on Saturday night after reports of a ‘medical emergency’
The pair climbed to number five on the Strictly leaderboard after receiving a combined score of 32 from show judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel-Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke.
A statement from Dowden’s spokesman confirmed: ‘Amy felt unwell and 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.’
Amy opened up about her struggles competing on Strictly after returning from her battle with cancer.
The professional dancer revealed she found the series ‘really, really hard’ just hours before collapsing backstage on Saturday night.
Amy blamed the high standards of this year’s celebrity dancers for the intensity the show had reached after she and her singer partner found themselves in the bottom two the week before.
In an interview with the Mail, the Wales star said: ‘It’s really tough competition this year as you can see from the rankings.
‘The reality now is that there are ten couples left and two will be in the dance-off every week. But it happened and we live to dance another day.”
Amy shared her struggles taking part in this year’s ‘very, very tough’ show just hours before her Halloween Special dance with JB before collapsing
The dancer, who returned to Strictly after her battle with breast cancer, revealed she found the series ‘really, really tough’ just hours before collapsing backstage on Saturday.
The Welsh dancer missed the results show after collapsing and was taken to hospital after her performance with JB
During week four the pair faced a dancing competition against Nick Knowles, but were saved by the judges
Amy’s mother Gillian Dowden, 65, has also said she has spoken to her daughter several times since her worrying backstage collapse after Saturday’s show
Show insiders feared Amy, who is also battling Crohn’s disease and recovering from breast cancer, could leave the show following her collapse on Saturday night
Amy’s mother Gillian Dowden, 65, has also said she has spoken to her daughter several times since her worrying backstage collapse after Saturday’s show.
At Amy’s home in Caerphilly, South Wales, the mother said: ‘We spoke on the phone today and she is doing well.’
A spokesperson for Amy said the ambulance was called ‘as a precaution’. In 2023, she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer, forcing her to take a break from the previous series of the BBC show.
Amy was diagnosed the day after she returned home from her honeymoon with husband Ben Jones.
In what became the toughest year of her life, the Strictly Come Dancing star underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy and fertility treatment and also almost died from sepsis.
The dancer has also struggled with Crohn’s disease since childhood and said she has experienced “quite a lot” of health issues in her life.
Amy recently revealed how Strictly had helped her feel like herself again after cancer.
She said: ‘What a difference a year can make. I look back and think, ‘Gosh, last year I got chemo this time… last year I was in the hospital this time with a blood clot.’
‘I’ve never really felt like myself since my cancer journey until I was back on Strictly and working with my lovely JB.
‘That was the hardest thing for me when I started the dance-off; I’m not ready for this to be taken from me.
‘I love being back. I don’t want it to stop. I’m not ready to finish my journey yet. I knew JB could make it through the dance and absolutely nail it.”
