Amy Dowden has opened up about her “heartbreaking” experience on BBC Strictly Come Dancing ahead of the live tour which kicks off this weekend. She returned to the hit dancing show last year, following a breast cancer diagnosis in May 2023 which forced her to step away from the competition.
The 34-year old Welsh dancer was thrilled to return to Strictly and was partnered with JLS singer JB Gill. However, she was forced to withdraw from the show in week six after suffering a leg injury. She was replaced in the race for the glitterball by Lauren Oakley, and the pair went on to make it to the final.
Amy was often in the crowd to support JB and Lauren on Saturday nights. On social media, she said: “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.”
The Strictly Come Dancing live tour kicks off in Birmingham on Friday January 17 and Amy is excited to be back dancing with JB. She said: “I’m going to enjoy every second of it.”
She added: “It was heartbreaking having to pull out halfway through. Obviously we didn’t expect our journey to end the way it did for us, but I was so happy that JB was able to continue with Lauren and make it to the final.”
JB said he feels really “spoiled”, as he gets to dance with both Amy and Lauren throughout the tour. Talking about his time on Strictly, he said: “Unfortunately my journey with Amy was cut short but then I got to dance with Lauren and go all the way through to the final. There’s a lot that Amy’s been through, so it’s great that she’s back for the tour. And I loved doing Strictly so I’m happy that I get to continue the dancing.”
It will be a “Strictly first”, having not one but two partners for the tour. To add to the excitement, it will be Lauren’s first time taking part in the tour. The dance star, 33, was not originally assigned a partner for the 2024 series, but landed lucky dancing in place of Amy alongside JB and bagged them a place in the final.
Lauren stepped in as JB’s partner in week seven and had big shoes to fill. She said: “Both mine and Amy’s main aim was to make sure the transition was as smooth as possible for JB. She put in some amazing groundwork with him and I felt a responsibility to carry that forward. He’s such a talented dancer, so he was lovely to teach. And I’ve never done the tour before, so that’s a nice bonus.”
The Strictly Come Dancing tour will land in Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena on January 28 and 29. The celebrities taking part include actor Jamie Borthwick, broadcaster, presenter and opera singer Wynne Evans and model and TV personality Tasha Ghouri. They will be joined by Gladiator and Olympian Montell Douglas, actress Sarah Hadland and singer Shayne Ward.
For the first time, judge Motsi Mabuse will join Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, and Craig Revel Horwood across all UK tour dates.. The tour is hosted by Janette Manrara who will ensure a high-energy evening for all ages.