Strictly's biggest stories of the week, from Amy Dowden health scare to Icons Week debut

Strictly Come Dancing fans have been worried for cast favourite Amy Dowden this week, after she left Saturday's live show in an ambulance.

Luckily, it seems Dowden is doing fine - but she is taking the week off to recover, which means Lauren Oakley will be standing in to dance with JB Gill at short notice.

Dowden will sadly be missing the BBC One show's first ever Icons Week, which will see the celebrities take inspiration from their favourite musical greats including Taylor Swift, Whitney Houston and Freddie Mercury, with Johannes Radebe leading a Beyonce-inspired group number in the results show.

Elsewhere, there's further news from Giovanni Pernice, Pete Wicks, and a Strictly alumnus, while we take a look at who is in danger of the dreaded dance off this weekend.

🚑 Amy Dowden's hospital dash

Pro dancer favourite Amy Dowden has fought her way back from breast cancer treatment and battled through Crohn's disease to make it back onto the show this year, so fans were worried for her when JB Gill appeared alone in the results show and it later emerged she had been taken to hospital in an ambulance.

Exactly what happened to Dowden has remained private, but the good news is that she is said to be "doing much better" and it's hoped she will return to the dancefloor next weekend.

But in the meantime, partner JB Gill has to learn his Couple's Choice routine with stand-in Lauren Oakley - something that his JLS bandmate, and 2017 contestant, Aston Merrygold said would add extra pressure this week.

Read more at HuffPost: Strictly Come Dancing Bosses Address Amy Dowden's Absence From This Week's Live Show

⭐️ Icons Week has arrived

If you're already missing Halloween Week, you'll be pleased to know that there's another themed episode this weekend as Icons Week makes its debut on the dancefloor.

Celebrities and their partners are set to take inspiration from musical greats while the pros perform a Beyonce-inspired routine in Sunday's results show.

Look out for Madonna, The Beatles and Shirley Bassey on Saturday night - but whether Icons Week becomes a regular feature of each series or is simply a fun one-off remains to be seen.

Read more at The London Standard: Strictly Come Dancing's Icons Week: full song and dance line-up for themed episode

💃 Lauren Oakley stands by Giovanni Pernice

Despite the Amanda Abbington training room scandal, dropped pro dancer Giovanni Pernice has kept some close ties with his former castmates — and Lauren Oakley is the latest Strictly star who seems to have backed him.

Pernice posted a recent photo of him hugging Oakley, saying he'd had "the best surprise visit" from her while she commented: "It's been a minute."

Giving more context to their meet-up, it's now been reported that Oakley is joining the ranks of Strictly stars to give her support to Pernice's new venture by teaching two of his Ballando dance classes in London.

Read more at the Manchester Evening News: Giovanni Pernice reunites with BBC Strictly Come Dancing star as she says 'it's been a minute'

❤️ Pete Wicks addresses love life speculation

Pete Wicks and his dance partner Jowita Przystal are the unlucky pair to have come under the microscope of Strictly romance speculation this year, with rumours flying about the nature of their connection.

Things have been further complicated by Wicks' apparent link to Maura Higgins, but in an interview with This Morning this week, Wicks insisted he and Przystal were just good friends.

He said: "It's not a love bubble, unfortunately. We have great chemistry because we've become such good friends. She's one of the most amazing people I've ever met, genuinely, not just in the dancing side of things, but outside of that."

Read more at Hello!: Strictly's Pete Wicks forced to address romance rumours with pro partner Jowita Przystal

🩸 Sara Davies' Strictly diabetes struggle

Strictly 2021 contestant Sara Davies has opened up on her struggle with pre-diabetes this week as she spoke about how the come down from appearing on the dance show had affected her.

Dragons' Den star Davies told Prima: "In the run-up to Strictly, I got really on top of it. I was running a lot and eating well, all because I was in a routine, so I got in great shape. But then, after I did Strictly, I lost the routine, I lost the motivation and I went back downhill. I saw the weight pile back on, which for me is a problem.

"Every year on my birthday, my HbA1C check tells me how close my blood sugar levels are to early-onset diabetes. And last year, my HbA1C was right on the borderline." However, Davies added that she had got it back under control through lifestyle changes and cutting out sugar.

Read more at The Independent: Dragons’ Den star reveals diabetes struggle while training for Strictly

⚠️ Who's in the Strictly danger zone this week?

There have been some shocks in the dance off so far this series, with strong performers JB Gill and Shayne Ward both having found themselves in the bottom two, while Tom Dean was the surprise first celebrity out.

But with so many serious contenders in the 2024 series, who could be in danger of dancing their last this weekend?

According to bookies BetMGM, things still look risky for Ward and Gill, while Sam Quek and Wynne Evans could both be facing a dance off, too.

These are their latest odds for a Strictly exit:

• Shayne Ward - 6/4

• Sam Quek - 7/2

• Wynne Evans - 7/2

• JB Gill - 4/1

• Pete Wicks - 10/1

• Montell Douglas - 12/1

• Jamie Borthwick - 33/1

• Sarah Hadland - 50/1

• Tasha Ghouri - 50/1

• Chris McCausland - 100/1

Betideas.com also tips Shayne Ward as the next dancer to be eliminated, but they warn that Wynne Evans is at risk of losing his place in the competition this weekend too.

Strictly Come Dancing continues on BBC One at 6.30pm on Saturday.