Strictly Come Dancing live: Wynne Evans dances American Smooth as Amy

Strictly Come Dancing is 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”.

Meanwhile, 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. Despite scoring lowest on the leaderboard, Pete Wicks and Jowitz Przystal survived another week.

This week, the stars will perform dances to a variety of songs at Blackpool Tower, with two Couple’s Choice dances by Przystal and Wicks, and Chris McCausland and his partner Dianne Buswell.

Table of Contents

Key Points

Sarah’s sentimental song choice

18:59 , Rachel McGrath

This is an inspired song choice that will no doubt bring joy to Miranda fans as in the sitcom, Sarah’s character Stevie uses a cardboard cutout of Heather Small and sings “Proud” to motivate her pal.

I very much enjoyed Sarah showing Miranda to her Italian partner, Vito (who presumably has absolutely no idea what it is).

Shayne’s scores are in…

18:57 , Rachel McGrath

Two 7s and two 8s give him a total of 30.

Shirley’s verdict on Shayne’s Rumba

18:54 , Rachel McGrath

Let’s be honest, only one judge’s comments matter on a Rumba: Shirley Ballas’s.

The Queen of the Rumba said: “You had some beatiful sections in the middle. I was a bit conflicted because on certain parts you were ab solutely outstanding, but when you stood still, you didn’t quite that sway.

“What I love is the chermistry between you’re, it’s really developing.”

Shayne’s up next

18:52 , Rachel McGrath

You know what? The Rumba has grown on me this year. In the past, I’ve found them a little boring (sorry, Shirley) but the professionals are upped their game with the choreography and storytelling.

Shayne (like most celebs) said in his VT that he’s found the Rumba hard but he looks pretty confident on the dancefloor and Nancy looks beautiful, as always.

Tasha’s scores are in…

18:47 , Rachel McGrath

She’s landed an 8 from Craig, 10s from Motsi and Shirley, and a 9 from Anton, for a total of 37. A very strong start.

Judges disagree over Tasha’s dance

18:46 , Rachel McGrath

Ooo, we’ve got our first disagreement from the judges of the evening.

“You got all your steps in for the day,” said Anton before Craig claimed the routine was “a little bit safe”.

Motsi didn’t think so though, and countered that it had “everything”.

“That was full on dancing,” said Shirley. “You offered everything we need to see in a Quickstep. That’s the kind of performance that gets you to the one and only Blackpool ballroom.”

Tasha opens the show

18:43 , Rachel McGrath

Tasha’s Couple’s Choice was absolutely beautiful. I really thought she was going to land the first 40 of the series but Craig wasn’t feeling like reaching the 10 paddle.

Tasha had been dreading the Quickstep but it suits her. And this routine has a lot of quickstepping in it which is sure to please the judges. I’m out of breath just from watching it.

And we’re off!

18:35 , Rachel McGrath

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.

The sixth Strictly contestant eliminated in last week’s show

18:08 , Maira Butt

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

All of the Strictly stars with previous dance experience, from Tasha Ghouri to JB Gill

17:30 , Maira Butt

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

Strictly Come Dancing 2024 couples – full list of celebrities and their partners

17:00 , Maira Butt

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

Tearful Amy Dowden hints she may make a sensational Strictly return

16:30 , Maira Butt

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 Dowden gives health update in first TV interview after hospital dash

15:57 , Maira Butt

Why isn’t Amy Dowden competing on Strictly Come Dancing and who is her replacement?

15:00 , Maira Butt

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?

Strictly ‘to axe five professionals’ as BBC bosses ‘want fresh start’

14:08 , Maira Butt

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’

Strictly star Johannes Radebe denies rumours he is leaving dancing show

13:30 , Maira Butt

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

Why isn’t Amy Dowden competing on Strictly Come Dancing and who is her replacement?

13:06 , Maira Butt

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.

Why isn’t Amy Dowden competing on Strictly Come Dancing and who is her replacement?

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