Amy Dowden insists ‘I’m feeling good’ as she drops tearful recovery update amid BBC Strictly withdrawal
Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden issued an update on her health and how she has been coping with her foot injury since she announced she would no longer be taking part in the competition.
Dowden – who has been part of the show since 2017 – collapsed backstage two weeks ago and was forced to pull out of dancing with partner JB Gill last week.
Just days after, it was announced that the Welsh dancer would not be competing in the rest of the series, leaving Lauren Oakley to take over and be paired with JB Gill for the duration.
The 34-year-old issued a statement on her Instagram account in which she admitted to being “heartbroken” over the sudden decision.
Since her announcement, she joined Lorraine Kelly for her daytime TV chat show to discuss the tough decision.
Welcoming her to the sofa on Thursday, Kelly asked how she was doing since the decision to step down, leaving the Strictly star to note once again: “I’m heartbroken…
“I’m gonna do my best not to cry… I’m gutted it’s ended this way, I feel I’ve let JB down… After hearing those words, ‘You have cancer’, this was…”
Interjecting, Kelly said: “I can see how upset you are… you’ve not let anyone down, we were all worried about you… you’ve been astonishingly brave, you never moan, then you get this injury…”
Dowden reassured fans that her new injury was a different one to what she sustained last year, and described it as an “insufficiency fracture”, leaving her to need a few weeks with no pressure on it.
This weekend, it will be a year since Dowden rang the bell to mark the end of her breast cancer chemotherapy journey, and was later told by doctors there was no disease detected.
Kelly pondered whether Dowden would be returning to the show in any capacity this year, which left the dancer to reveal: “When I had that diagnosis, that was the goal of mine.
“[It] got me through treatment, to be honest, that is my dream and my goal and I am so glad I got back there.”
She went on to thank Kelly and her team on the show for their support, before revealing her health update.
“I am feeling good, I was in the gym with the physio yesterday, hoping to dance by the end of the series, and going on tour with Carlos next year… right now I’m heartbroken but I’ll be better soon.”
Ending their discussion, Kelly urged Dowden to take it easy before handing her the pamper gift basket the team had made her.
Gill issued a statement on his Instagram account yesterday where he shared his admiration for Dowden and vowed to do her proud.
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Alongside a montage of images of the pair, he penned: ”What a wild couple of weeks it’s been but I just want to say how grateful I am to Amy Dowden for everything she’s done as my partner to date.
“I have nothing but admiration for you. Your fight and determination are second to none. Your dedication to your art shines through in your passion for what you love.
“You would literally give anything to be on that ballroom floor dancing and I feel truly honoured to have shared it with you for 6 weeks. Thank you for your patience and support through every week.
“Thank you for trusting me with your creativity, doing everything in your power to enhance my ability and make it resonate on a Saturday night. Our memories and moments will forever be in Strictly history and I have no doubt you’ll be back, stronger and better than ever.” (sic)
