BBC Strictly Come Dancing's JB Gill shares family health battle 'since start of the series'

Strictly Come Dancing star JB Gill shared the tough time he has been going through in the competition as he revealed his mum had gone in for an operation just as the show started. The JLS singer explained his mum hadn't been able to watch him perform on the show due to the surgery on her back.

He was overjoyed that she managed to make it to Blackpool to support him. In a conversation after his dance with professional dance partner Lauren Oakley, host Claudia Winkleman asked how he felt, adding: "Your mum is here for the first time because I know she had problems with her back."

JB shared: "She had an operation at the start of the series so she's not been able to come and watch one of the shows yet. It's so nice to have her in the audience supporting."

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JB and Lauren performed a Quickstep to Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley on the world-famous sprung floor at the Blackpool Tower. Their performance was scored highly by the Strictly judges, but they did have some issued.

Anton Du Beke told JB: "I love to see quickstep on this beautiful floor, sweeping across the floor as you did. You're now intorducing freedom...there seems to be more joy coming through."

But he addressed a 'slight problem' with the position of his head in hold, adding: "Just work on that little point and the rest wil be transformed because it really was a super performance."

Craig Revel Horwood agreed, saying the "posture was poor". He added: "I felt you were fihting each other ever so slightly instead of working as one." But he did praise the pair for moving "all around this humongous floor".

The pair received 35 points out of 40 for the performance. Craig scored an 8, while Motsi, Anton and Shirley all gave them 9 points.