Strictly Come Dancing fans will be ecstatic to find out Amy Dowden will be returning to the much-anticipated arena tour next year.
Professional dancer Amy was forced to withdraw from this year’s competition due to a foot injury, but it has been revealed that she will be back on the dance floor once again, as she joins dancing partner JB Gill for the tour next year.
The JLS member will dance with both Amy and Lauren Oakley – who stood in for Amy when she pulled out – throughout the 30-show tour.
The full tour line up has now been confirmed, reports the Mirror. Joining JB, Amy and Laura will be couples Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas, Montell Douglas and Kai Widdrington, Wynne Evans and Katya Jones; Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec, Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola and Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu.
Dianne Buswell, Karen Hauer, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Jowita Przystal plus Robbie Kmetoni and Jake Leigh, will also be on there to preform during the live tour.
Judges will be Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse – who is making her tour debut – and It Take Two’s Janatte Manrara completes the list.
Speaking of the upcoming tour and Amy’s inclusion, Janette said: “Wow – what an incredible line-up of couples we have on the tour next year! Arena audiences around the country are in for a real treat. It’s going to be a blast to be back with all the pros and, as an extra special treat, it will be a joy to welcome back the lovely Amy Dowden. Get ready for an evening of pure Strictly entertainment for the whole family – bigger and better than ever before!”
There is one noticeable absentee from the line up, with winner Chris McCausland not joining the tour. The comedian has detailed the emotional toll the show has taken on his whilst speaking to Lorraine Kelly.
The comedian told stand-in presenter Ranvir Singh: “It’s been a really emotional Saturday night and I’m still feeling quite worn down by it. It’s been three and a half months; it’s relentless. It’s consuming – physically and mentally it takes a toll. This is what the show does, it wears you down physically and mentally and then it pokes you with a stick until you cry in front of everybody.”
He added: “I started my tour in January this year and I did the first leg until May and I was meant to be back out in September. We moved the dates to accommodate Strictly, so we just moved them to January. We had to move these dates to accommodate Strictly and it just wasn’t a consideration at the time…
“I don’t think anybody thought I would be any good at it. I don’t think they thought it, I don’t think I thought it. And in terms of going on tour in January, I didn’t think I’d be going on tour on the back of Strictly. I thought I’d have about two months off.”
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The 2025 Strictly tour opens at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena on January 17 before touring the UK, with the event hitting Glasgow from January 24 – 26.
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