Strictly Come Dancing’s Amy Dowden sent a heartfelt seven-word message to her celebrity partner JB Gill before Saturday’s show.
Professional dancer Lauren Oakley, who currently does not have a celebrity pairing on this year’s series of the BBC One dance competition, has stepped in to dance with JLS star JB, 37, after Amy, 34, fell ill during filming last weekend.
Amy is said to be “doing much better” after a health scare forced her to miss Sunday’s results programme after being taken to hospital and she has skipped this week of the competition to recover.
This Saturday’s episode, featuring an icons theme for the first time on the BBC One show, will see the remaining ten celebrities and their professional partners dance to songs by legendary musicians. In the special icons week, JB and Lauren, 33, are set to perform a couple’s choice routine to a medley of Bruno Mars songs.
Ahead of their anticipated performance, Amy took to Instagram to show her support with a sweet seven-word endorsement: “I’m going to be your biggest cheerleader!”, reports Wales Online.
Her complete message sweetly read: “Wishing these two the absolute best of luck tonight! I’m going to be your biggest cheerleader! @jbgill it says everything how you’ve been able to adapt to a new professional, produce such a great number (so excited for everyone to see) whilst supporting me! I’m so lucky! You’re a STAR! I know what tonight means to you! Thank you!
“@laurenmayoakley thank you, I knew Jay would be in safe hands and have a fabulous time with you! You know I’ve always adored your dancing since I ran up to you in Blackpool tower at 8 years old to tell you! Thank you darling!
“@lizzie.gough you for choreographing such a brilliant routine! LOVE IT! Thank you! Also a big thank you for all the love and support I’ve received this past week. So grateful and certainly helped! Now tune into the first ever ICONS week on strictly!”
On Monday, a Strictly spokesperson said: “Amy Dowden MBE is doing much better and the Strictly family send her love and wish her well.
“She is delighted that fellow professional dancer Lauren Oakley is able to step in for rehearsals and to perform in Saturday’s show for JB Gill’s couple’s choice dance. We are all hopeful that Amy will be back to dance with JB next week.”
This year the dancer returned to competing on the show after undergoing treatment for stage three breast cancer, including having a mastectomy and chemotherapy. In February, Amy revealed that tests showed she has “no evidence of disease”.
Strictly Come Dancing continues this Saturday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.