Yahoo News Strictly's Lauren Oakley speaks on taking over from Amy Dowden
Strictly Come Dancing professional Lauren Oakley has addressed replacing Amy Dowden after she injured her foot.
On tonight's (November 7) It Takes Two, Lauren and her celebrity partner JB Gill shared their hopes to make it to the Strictly Blackpool special, with the pro dancer saying she wanted to "carry the torch forward" for Amy.
"I think leading on from the groundwork that Amy has put in, I just want to carry the torch forward as much as I can because she's done all the work," Lauren told host Janette Manrara.
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"So I want to just do the partnership justice and bring my flair as well to JB," she continued.
She then added to her partner: "You have kind of got the best of both worlds, you got to work with a couple of professionals."
Speaking about Blackpool, Lauren called it "the Mecca of ballroom and Latin", adding: "It's just the most special place".
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The Blackpool special is set to air on November 16. Given JB and Lauren earned a score of 39 with their Bruno Mars-inspired number last week, it's extremely likely they'll make it to the most anticipated episode.
At the end of their routine last Saturday (November 2), JB and Lauren hugged to celebrate, before he turned to the camera and whispered the words: "It's for you, Amy."
As for Amy, the Welsh dancer said she was "gutted" to have left the competition, though she remarked she'd be JB's "biggest cheerleader" throughout the rest of the show with the "amazing" Lauren.
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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