Strictly Come Dancing latest: Pete Wicks leaves viewers in tears as Lauren Oakley replaces Amy Dowden again
Two Couple’s Choice performances and a stunning American Smooth provided three of this week’s most memorable moments
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Your support makes all the difference.Strictly Come Dancing was back on BBC One for week eight, but professional dancer Amy Dowden will not be returning for the remainder of the series.
Dowden, who was partnered with JLS singer JB Gill, was replaced by Lauren Oakley, after the former was rushed to hospital, having fallen ill during a live show. The Welsh dancer, 34, had returned to competing in the BBC show for its 20th anniversary series following cancer treatment.
Dowden clarified that her “insufficiency stress fracture” had “nothing to do with any previous health scares”.
The action-packed episode saw the nine remaining celebrities fighting not just for their place in the compeititon, but to dance in the Blackpool Tower ballroom as next week’s live episode takes place in the iconic venue.
Plenty of the stars upped their game, including Pete Wicks — who landed his highest score yet (and left one of the judges choking back tears) with a Couple’s Choice routine dedicated to his late grandmother.
Earlier this week, the series has been plagued by rumours that fan-favourite Johannes Radebe is set to quit, after several outlets reported that his schedule for 2025 would mean he would be too busy to participate.
He is billed to star in Kinky Boots: The Musical for the first half of the year while he works on a film adaptation of his life story. Radebe hit back at the claims, writing “I’m not going anywhere!” in a post on Instagram.
Last week, Sam Quek and Nikita Kuzmin were eliminated as they lost out to Radebe and Montell Douglas after placing in the bottom two following a public vote.
Why isn’t Amy Dowden competing on Strictly Come Dancing and who is her replacement?
Ellie Muir reports:
Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden won’t feature in the remainder of the dancing competition due to injury.
The 34-year-old dancer was rushed to hospital as a “precaution” on 26 October, but it was later revealed she had sustained a stress fracture in her shin, which requires several weeks of rest.
Her replacement is professional dancer Lauren Oakley, who has stepped in to dance with Dowden’s celebrity partner, the JLS singer JB Gill.
Oakley, who came eighth when partnered with Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy in the show’s previous season, did not have a partner this year. She joined the show in 2022.
“I’m absolutely gutted, I need to rest for a couple of weeks,” Dowden said on It Takes Two. “Hopefully I will be back dancing, hopefully in a group number by the end of the series. Fingers crossed.”
Why isn’t Amy Dowden competing on Strictly Come Dancing and who is her replacement?
Dancer said she was ‘gutted’ to miss out on competition for second time
Strictly star Johannes Radebe denies rumours he is leaving dancing show
The 37-year-old ballroom dancer, who is currently partnered with Gladiators star Montell Douglas in the series, shared a post on social media to squash any ideas of him leaving the series next year.
In a video uploaded to his Instagram on Thursday, the dancer shared a video of himself in a training studio singing, “I’m going nowhere…. It’s a lie.”
He then joked and danced with Douglas in rehearsal, telling the camera: “Why they tell lies about me?”
He wrote in the post’s caption: “I’m not going nowhere! The story isn’t true – I love @bbcstrictly and I want to do this beautiful show for as long as they want me – and the body will allow.”
Johannes Radebe denies rumours about leaving Strictly Come Dancing
‘I’m not going nowhere,’ said pro dancer
Strictly ‘to axe five professionals’ as BBC bosses ‘want fresh start’
A handful of Strictly Come Dancing’s longest-serving professionals are “at risk” of being axed from the show as the BBC looks towards “a fresh start”.
After a wave of allegations surfaced about the behaviour of the show’s professional dancers earlier this year, reports suggest that bosses intend to bring a new generation of younger ballroom dancers to freshen up its image – leaving five names at risk of being dropped.
According to The Sun, those at risk of being dropped are reportedly some of the show’s longest-standing pros, including Nadiya Bychkova, who joined the show in 2017, Neil Jones (2016), Karen Hauer (2012), Gorka Marquez (2016) and Katya Jones (2016).
Read the full story below
Strictly ‘to axe five professionals’ as BBC bosses ‘want fresh start’
A big shake-up is said to be on the horizon for the BBC series
Why isn’t Amy Dowden competing on Strictly Come Dancing and who is her replacement?
The 34-year-old dancer was rushed to hospital as a “precaution” on 26 October, but it was later revealed she had sustained a stress fracture in her shin, which requires several weeks of rest.
Her replacement is professional dancer Lauren Oakley, who has stepped in to dance with Dowden’s celebrity partner, the JLS singer JB Gill.
Oakley, who came eighth when partnered with Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy in the show’s previous season, did not have a partner this year. She joined the show in 2022.
“I’m absolutely gutted, I need to rest for a couple of weeks,” Dowden said on It Takes Two. “Hopefully I will be back dancing, hopefully in a group number by the end of the series. Fingers crossed.”
Read the full story below
Why isn’t Amy Dowden competing on Strictly Come Dancing and who is her replacement?
Dancer said she was ‘gutted’ to miss out on competition for second time
Amy Dowden gives health update in first TV interview after hospital dash
Tearful Amy Dowden hints she may make a sensational Strictly return
Amy Dowden has hinted that she could return to Strictly Come Dancing for a group number after suffering a shin injury.
The 34-year-old was rushed to hospital as a “precaution” on 26 October and did not perform on the Saturday night show on 2 November. She was replaced by fellow professional dancer Lauren Oakley as celebrity JB Gill’s dance partner.
She got emotional in an appearance on the BBC’s It Takes Two: “I’m absolutely gutted. Unfortunately, I have a stress fracture on my shin. I’m absolutely gutted, I need to rest for a couple of weeks.
“Hopefully I will be back dancing, hopefully in a group number by the end of the series. Fingers crossed.”
Read the full story below
Tearful Amy Dowden hints she may make a sensational Strictly return
Amy revealed she had suffered a shin fracture
Strictly Come Dancing 2024 couples – full list of celebrities and their partners
It’s Strictly season, and by now, all the stars have been through dozens of hours of intense training and performing, and know their respective pro dancers pretty well.
The reality competition series returned to our screens on 14 September, with a launch show in which the celebrity contestants learnt which professional dancers they would be coupled up with.
Meet your Strictly Come Dancing couples below…
Strictly Come Dancing 2024 couples – full list of pairings
Meet the cast of 2024 – and their professional partners
All of the Strictly stars with previous dance experience, from Tasha Ghouri to JB Gill
As many of the celebrities competing on Strictly are actors, singers and performers, a large number of them will have trained in dance or theatrical performance.
Those contestants are often subject to backlash from viewers at home who argue that they have an unfair advantage compared to the other contestants.
There is also criticism that the inclusion of these celebrities means that the amateur dancing show has become more competitive in recent years. Last year, Layton Williams faced similar complaints from viewers who claimed he had an unfair advantage due to his dance experience performing in West End productions.
All of the Strictly stars with dance experience, from Tasha Ghouri to JB Gill
Featuring a professionally-trained commercial dancer and theatre school graduate
The sixth Strictly contestant eliminated in last week’s show
Former Olympic hockey player Sam Quek and her professional dance partner Nikita Kuzmin wrre the latest couple to be eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing.
Last Saturday’s episode saw the dance couples compete in the first ever Icons Week, dancing to songs by legendary musical acts such as The Beatles, George Michael, Bruno Mars, Queen, Madonna and Shirley Bassey.
Sixth Strictly Come Dancing star eliminated from series
Only nine couples now remain in the competition...
And we’re off!
Here we go! There are just nine couples left in the competition and tonight, they’re fighting it out not just for their spots in the competition, but to dance in the Blackpool special next week.
We have two Couple’s Choice routines on the schedule along with what could be a seriously high-scoring Argentine Tango and another Rumba. Buckle up, it should be a great evening.
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