Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden has given her first live TV interview after collapsing backstage during last week’s live show.
The dancer appeared on Strictly spin-off It Takes Two on Friday (1 November), after it was revealed earlier this week she will not be dancing in this Saturday’s live show with partner JB Gill.
Dowden, 34, who only returned to the competition this year following treatment for breast cancer, told host Janette Manrara she is feeling “much better”.
She also thanked fans for their well wishes and praised partner Gill for his support.
Gill and professional dancer Lauren Oakley, who has stepped in to cover Dowden this week, accompanied Dowden on It Takes Two.
Dowden said: “JB’s been so supportive of me… the pair of them just messaged all week.”
Oakley then revealed they had set up a WhatsApp group to keep Dowden updated with videos of their rehearsals.
The Independent has contacted the BBC about when Strictly fans can expect Dowden to return to the main show.
An ambulance was summoned to Elstree Studios in Borehamwood on 26 October after Dowden fell ill backstage after her dance and was taken to hospital. A spokesperson for the dancer later said that the ambulance was “just a precaution”.
Oakley, who came eighth when partnered with Channel 4 News host Krishnan Guru-Murthy in Strictly’s previous season, did not have a partner this year. She first joined the show in 2022.
Gill and Dowden performed a foxtrot to “Dancing in the Moonlight” by Toploader last Saturday, scoring 32 before the professional dancer fell ill backstage. She did not attend the results show last Sunday.
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Dowden had returned to the line-up this year after missing the 2023 series when she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in May 2023 aged just 32, after finding a lump on her breast the day before going on her honeymoon.
She began chemotherapy later that year when she was diagnosed with another type of cancer. Despite medical concerns following a check-up early this year, Dowden was given the all-clear by doctors.
Dowden also has Crohn’s disease, a lifelong gut disease that causes chronic bowel inflammation.