BBC’s ‘panic’ over absent Amy Dowden and why some are now saying her dancing with JB Gill was ‘not the best idea’: What insiders are REALLY saying about Strictly, reveals KATIE HIND

It was during the annual Strictly ‘speed dating’ event that bosses knew they would be pairing Amy Dowden with former boy band star JB Gill.

Organized so that the professionals can meet the celebrities, they all move around the room, performing a short dance together and exchanging a few words.

Show sources say that even at that early stage, JB, a singer from the pop group JLS, was considered one of the most promising contestants and would almost certainly be among the two or three pairings likely to lift the glitterball.

The BBC’s position was that this would be the perfect, fairytale return for Amy after her dramatic health problems last year.

Amy was just 32 when she received the earth-shattering news that she had stage 3 breast cancer in May last year.

She was filming the BBC series Dare To Dance at the time and said she realized ‘something was wrong’. The day before she and her husband Benjamin went on their honeymoon, she discovered a lump in her breast.

Later that year, she was again diagnosed with another unspecified form of cancer and underwent a course of chemotherapy.

Amy returned to the hospital in August 2024 for more tests, where she was ultimately cleared.

Everyone was happy with her return. There were other reasons to celebrate too: it’s the 20th anniversary of Strictly, which started under a cloud due to the row between Giovanni Pernice and Amanda Abbington, which arose when the actress complained that she had been ‘mistreated and bullied’ during rehearsals – accusations Pernice always denied.

It prompted a five-month investigation by the BBC, which ended last month, in which six of 17 complaints against him were upheld.

The show desperately needed some fun and having Amy back on the dance floor – with a celebrity partner – gave it a huge boost.

But on Saturday night the Welsh beauty collapsed after her foxtrot to Dancing In The Moonlight. An ambulance was called and she was taken from the show’s Elstree studios.

The following day, the BBC announced that she would not return for tonight’s show. Instead, JB will dance with Lauren Oakley who made a name for herself on Strictly last year when she teamed up with Krishnan Guru-Murthy.

In a statement, the Corporation said that Amy, who also suffers from Crohn’s disease – a chronic condition that causes inflammation of the digestive system and can lead to extreme fatigue and weight loss – was thrilled that Lauren intervened. However, there are no other details. were given.

It left a big question mark as to whether Amy will return to the show at all. Although she has not yet revealed what was at the heart of the medical emergency, it has caused yet another headache for the BBC.

Adding to the Pernice and Abbington saga, professional dancer Graziano Di Prima was fired for kicking Zara McDermott during a training session.

And now there are internal questions over whether Strictly bosses took Amy back too quickly.

One says to me: ‘There is panic. It was terrible what happened to Amy and now questions are being asked whether or not she should have come back full throttle this year.

‘She went through a terrible ordeal with her cancer, she was so brave and so determined. She loves the show and of course she missed playing a major role in it, but she should have relaxed a bit more.

‘Amy collapsed shortly after her dance. It’s under high pressure. She has made no secret of how difficult this year has been, it is so competitive. It’s been kept top secret what’s wrong, but it must have been hard for her to take this week off.

‘And then there are the optics: what does it look like for the BBC? Not great.’

Indeed, it is her collaboration with JB, who has proven to be one of the series’ top dancers, that some have also cited as ‘not the best idea’. with someone a little less capable, there might not have been as much pressure on her performance that way,” a source close to the show mused.

“But it’s clear that she and JB would go far, so you have to wonder if that was the right thing to do.” Amy herself admitted just hours before collapsing that she had found the show ‘very, very hard’.

She blamed the fact that competition is fierce this year, with the likes of Tasha Ghouri achieving high scores, while the show’s first blind contestant, Chris McCausland, has proven to be a wildcard. Amy said: ‘It’s very, very tough competition this year as you can see from the leaderboard.’

Former judge Arlene Phillips – a choreographer for more than five decades – begged Amy to take care of herself. She told the Mail last Monday: ‘Amy is a powerhouse and wants to be back on that floor just like everyone else.

‘Maybe there was a moment that overwhelmed her and she needs rest and she needs care – she will accept that.

“Amy is the greatest fighter we have right now. I know Strictly will look after her, but Amy is also her own woman and what she decides goes.’

Speaking to a BBC documentary about her cancer journey in August, Amy admitted that one of the hardest things was not being able to dance.

She said: ‘Everything I love most has been taken from me, my dancing has been taken from me.

‘For me, dancing has always helped me through the darkest times. When I dance, I forget all my worries, stress and pain in life. That’s where I’m happiest.’

BBC insiders insist that Amy’s participation in the show was not solely their decision and that she is equally responsible for her desire to return.

One source said: ‘From the start, the BBC said Amy’s health and wellbeing came first. That was always the highest priority.

‘Any claim that her return to the show was led by the BBC would be completely false. There was no – and would be no – pressure from us to return or be a part of anything if she didn’t want to.

“It would always be a mutual decision about participation in any part of the show, as with any illness or injury.”

But for now, the pressure is on Lauren to keep Amy’s dancing shoes warm.

Some adjustments to routines will be necessary

Lauren is taller than Amy, but tonight she and JB are dancing the couple’s choice to a Bruno Mars medley, with JB dressed as the American singer.

Of course Amy will watch and hope that she will be back on the dance floor next week.

The question is, will BBC bosses think the risk is too big to take?