Strictly Come Dancing pro Amy Dowden has stressed that the reason she won’t be returning to the show this year “has nothing to do with the previous health scare”.
Dowden was taken to hospital as a “precautionary measure” two weeks ago after he began “feeling unwell”.
She told Strictly spin-off It Takes Two on Wednesday that she had “a stress fracture in my calf, if I’m not mistaken”.
Dowden, 34, returned to action this year after missing the BBC show’s 20th anniversary series last year while undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
She said she was “very upset” to quit the show this season, but was told she needed to “take a few weeks off.”
In a tearful interview with host Janette Manrara, Dowden added she was “heartbroken” by the decision.
“Returning to the Strictly family was the best recovery.”
She said she hopes “by the end of the series she will be back dancing in some capacity, maybe in a group dance”.
Pro Lauren Oakley will take her place, teaming up with Dowden’s celebrity partner, JLS singer JB Gill.
Last Saturday, Oakley replaced Dowden and the two performed the Bruno Mars Medley, scoring 39 points.
Dowden said Gill was “so talented, it’s unbelievable how quickly he picked up the routine”.
“But, most importantly, he just loved dancing.
“He’s enjoying his amazing, Strictly journey and honestly I can’t wait to see them continue and in JB’s words he would say – ‘That’s awesome’.”
Gill praised Dowden’s “fighting spirit and determination” on Instagram and said he had “nothing but admiration” for her.
Dowden, 32, was initially diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in May 2023 when she discovered a lump in her breast the day before leaving for her honeymoon.
Later that year, at the age of 34, he was diagnosed again. She returned to the hospital in August 2024 for further examination as doctors were concerned about abnormalities in her breasts after examination. She later gave the all-clear.
Dowden opened up about her ordeal with breast cancer in the BBC documentary Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me, which aired in September.
She also suffers from Crohn’s disease – a lifelong condition that causes part of the digestive system to become inflamed – and has previously spoken out about the impact it has had on her health.
