Amy Dowden's "heartbreak" as she pulls out of Strictly with foot injury

Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden has said her heart is "breaking" after having to pull out of the rest of the dance competition due to a foot injury.

The Welsh dancer, 34, returned to competing in the BBC show for its 20th anniversary series after missing out last year due to undergoing cancer treatment.

Her celebrity partner, JLS star JB Gill, will now be paired with fellow pro Lauren Oakley, who stepped in to replace Dowden on last weekend's show.

Dowden said in an Instagram post shared on Monday evening that she had felt "free again" in the "past few months" after getting to focus on choreography rather than cancer.

She wrote: "My heart is breaking right now. The past few months I finally felt like me again. Cancer was no longer the first thing I thought of when I woke up.

"It was choreography, music choices, which dances in which order, what we needed to work on. I felt free again.

"My goal since hearing those words you have cancer was to get back on the Strictly dance floor. It's been such a challenge to get back, one I devoted 2024 too.

"Which with my incredible team we got there. Something I wanted to do for myself and loved ones. There was no feeling like it dancing again in the ballroom with my Strictly family."

Dowden thanked her dance partner Gill for being the "perfect partner" to return to, describing him as a "talented, kind, gentle soul" and their training room as "chilled, hardworking and full of big smiles enjoying what we was creating together with a blossoming friendship".

The pair topped the leaderboard in week one and continued to do well in the competition, with their last dance together being a foxtrot to Dancing In The Moonlight by Toploader during Halloween week, which landed them a score of 32.

Dowden added: "I'm so sad, so upset and asking why me, why now that our journey has been cut short.

"My heart right now is breaking having to pull out of the competition due to a foot injury and I know only too well 'This too shall pass' and I'll be soon better and back dancing.

"Something I've had to get used to in my life. I'm sure at some point we will dance again JB."

She also told Gill and his new dance partner Oakley that she will "forever be your biggest cheerleader" and thanked her fans, loved ones and Strictly family.

A Strictly spokesperson said: "Sadly, Amy Dowden MBE will not be partaking in the rest of the competition this year.

"Whilst Amy focuses on her recovery following a foot injury, fellow professional dancer Lauren Oakley will step in as JB's dance partner.

"The health and wellbeing of everyone involved in Strictly are always the utmost priority. The whole Strictly family sends Amy love and well wishes."

Fleur East read out the statement on Monday's episode of Strictly spin-off It Takes Two, adding: "Sending you all our love Amy, get better soon."

Following the announcement, Gill described it as "heartbreaking news" but said their "moments will be forever in Strictly history".

"Thank you for being the best teacher. Nothing but love from all of the Gill family," he added in a comment on her post.

Oakley also sent her support, writing: "This too shall pass. We're still a team. Love you. You did the ground work, I'll carry your partnership forward and hopefully make you proud XXX."

Fellow Strictly pros Neil Jones and Nadiya Bychkova as well as 2024 contestants Tasha Ghouri and Wynne Evans were also among those to send their love to Dowden.

Strictly judge Motsi Mabuse said Dowden's "courage and strength inspire us all" and said the dancer focusing on her health is "the most beautiful act of self-care and resilience".

She added: "Know that the entire Strictly family and everyone who loves you are with you every step of the way. We miss you deeply on the dance floor, but your well-being is what matters most.

"Sending you all my love, support, and strength as you take this time for yourself. Can't wait to see you shining bright again when you're ready. Love, Motsi."

On Saturday, Dowden watched in the studio as Gill and Oakley danced to a Bruno Mars medley and earned the joint highest score of this year's series.

Dowden was taken to hospital as a "precaution" after "feeling unwell" following the live show the previous weekend and missed the Sunday results programme, her representative said at the time.

Last year, Dowden found a lump in her breast while on her honeymoon in the Maldives with fellow professional dancer Ben Jones, and was unable to compete on Strictly.

After treatment for stage three breast cancer including having a mastectomy and chemotherapy, she announced in February that tests showed she had "no evidence of disease".

The Caerphilly dancer has documented both her cancer journey and living with Crohn's disease on a number of BBC shows.

She fronted the BBC programme Strictly Amy: Crohn's And Me, which she said helped her "accept" her own condition for the "first time ever" after meeting other people with the bowel disease.

Dowden, who was admitted to hospital in Manchester following a Crohn's flare-up during the 2022 Strictly live tour, said the BBC show encouraged her to front Strictly Amy: Cancer And Me in which she spoke about her fertility and health issues.