Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden has insisted that the reason she will not be returning to the series this year has “nothing to do with any previous health scare”.
Two weeks ago Dowden was taken to hospital as a “precaution” after “feeling unwell”.
On Wednesday, he told the Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two that he had an “insufficient stress fracture, if I’m right” in his shin.
Dowden, 34, returned to competition for the BBC’s 20th anniversary series after being absent last year during breast cancer treatment.
She said she was “absolutely gutted” to leave the show this season, but was told she needed to “take a few weeks off”.
In a tearful interview with presenter Janet Manrara, Dowden said she was “heartbroken” by the decision.
“Being back with the Strictly family was the best rehabilitation.”
She said she hoped she would be “back by the end of the series in some capacity, perhaps dancing in a group number”.
Fellow Prof Lauren Oakley will replace him, teaming up with Dowden’s celebrity partner, JLS singer JB Gill.
Oakley stood in for Dowden last Saturday, with the pair performing a Bruno Mars medley and scoring 39 points.
Dowden said that Gill was “so talented, the way he picks up routines so quickly, it’s unbelievable”.
“But, most importantly, she just loves to dance.
“He’s enjoying his magical, Strictly journey, and to be honest, I can’t wait to see them continue and, in the words of JB, he would say – ‘This is bullshit’.”
On Instagram, Gill praised Dowden for his “fight and determination” and said he had “nothing but admiration” for him.
Dowden was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in May 2023, at the age of 32, after finding a lump in her breast the day before leaving on her honeymoon.
The now 34-year-old was re-diagnosed later that same year. She returned to the hospital in August 2024 for further testing, as doctors were concerned about abnormalities in her breast following the test. Later everything was made clear to him.
Dowden revealed about her ordeal with breast cancer in the BBC documentary, Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me, which aired in September.
He also has Crohn’s disease – a lifelong condition that causes parts of the digestive system to become inflamed – and has previously spoken out about the impact it has had on his health.
