Amy Dowden breaks silence on Strictly 'collapse' as she gives health update

Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Amy Dowden has broken her silence following a health scare over the weekend. During a chat on It Takes Two with Janette Manrara, Lauren Oakley and JB Gill, the 34-year-old Welsh dancer revealed she was rushed to Barnet Hospital from Elstree Studios, the BBC One show's production centre, after "feeling unwell" post the live show on Saturday.

The hospital visit was described as a "precaution". However, in a surprising turn of events, Amy made an unexpected appearance on the Strictly spin-off show, It Takes Two, this Friday (November 1).

As reported by the Mirror, she updated fans on her health status while chatting with presenter Janette, as JB prepares for his performance with temporary dance partner Lauren Oakley. "I'm feeling so much better and I'd just like to thank everyone for all the love and support I've received and to my Strictly family", she expressed.

Amy's celebrity dance partner, JLS star JB Gill, took to Instagram on Monday to express gratitude for the public's support following her health scare. He wrote: "On behalf of both @amy_dowden and I, I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone for voting for us and wishing us well. We absolutely loved our performance on Saturday night and are so grateful to be through to another week on @bbcstrictly Thank you, thank you, thank you for your support."

This year, Amy returned to the competition after undergoing treatment for breast cancer, including having a mastectomy and chemotherapy. JB stood alone on stage during Sunday night's pre-recorded Results Show, which saw him and Dowden escape being in the bottom two after their foxtrot to Dancing In The Moonlight by Toploader.

A spokesman for Amy said on Sunday: "Amy was feeling unwell and so an ambulance was called as a precaution. She is feeling much better and would like to thank the Strictly family for their love and concern. We request Amy's privacy in matters of health is kindly respected."

The BBC said "due to unforeseen circumstances" she was "unable" to be part of the results show, which is recorded on Saturday after the live show, and airs on Sunday. An East of England Ambulance Service spokesman said: "We were called just after 9pm on Saturday to attend a medical emergency at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood. An ambulance was sent to the scene. One patient, an adult female, was transported to Barnet Hospital for further care."

Last year, Amy found a lump in her breast while on her honeymoon in the Maldives with fellow professional dancer Ben Jones. She was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer and, following treatment, in February she announced that tests showed she has "no evidence of disease".

Amy documented her experience with cancer after seeing the impact on others of her documentary discussing her Crohn's disease and how it had helped her "accept" her own condition for the "first time ever". She fronted the BBC programme Strictly Amy: Crohn's And Me, in which she spoke about her battle with the condition and met other people with Crohn's to hear about their experiences.

The lifelong condition, in which parts of the digestive system become inflamed, can cause stomach aches and cramps, fatigue and diarrhoea, among other symptoms, according to the NHS website. During the Strictly live tour in 2022, Amy was admitted to hospital in Manchester following a Crohn's flare-up.