Yahoo News Strictly confirms Amy Dowden competition exit
Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden will be exiting the competition.
A BBC statement was read on Monday's (November 4) edition of Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two to confirm Dowden will be replaced by fellow professional Lauren Oakley as JB Gill's partner for the remainder of the season.
A Strictly spokesperson said: "Sadly, Amy Dowden MBE will not be partaking in the rest of the competition this year. Whilst Amy focuses on her recovery following a foot injury, fellow Professional Dancer, Lauren Oakley, will step in as JB’s dance partner.
"The health and wellbeing of everyone involved in Strictly are always the utmost priority. The whole Strictly family sends Amy love and well wishes."
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Dowden appeared in the BBC Ballroom this past weekend to support Gill and his then-temporary partner Oakley, after she was forced to withdraw from training last week due to her hospitalisation.
At the time, the BBC was "hopeful that Amy [would] be back to dance with JB" for Week 8, but has now shifted to Oakley working with the JLS singer permanently.
During the Strictly live show, Oakley expressed hope that her routine with Gill for Icons Week had "made [Dowden] proud".
A tearful Dowden offered the new duo her full support, telling them: "I'm so grateful to you, Lauren… I came up to Lauren when I was eight years old at Blackpool Tower, and she just danced and I told her I was her biggest fan. So thank you, Lauren, thank you, J[B]. I wish I could stay with you, you're amazing."
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The professional dancer returned to the ballroom this year following her treatment for cancer, which was recently chronicled in the documentary Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me.
Dowden has been a professional on the BBC dancing competition since 2017, though she has revealed she passed up a chance to join Strictly earlier in her career.
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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