JB Gill has praised his Strictly Come Dancing professional partner Amy Dowden for her "fight and determination" following her departure from the BBC competition early due to a foot injury.
The JLS singer, who will continue dancing with pro Lauren Oakley in the contest, had been partnered with Welsh dancer Dowden since the beginning of this year’s BBC One series.
Dowden, 34, returned to competing in the BBC show for its 20th anniversary series after missing out last year due to undergoing cancer treatment.
In a lengthy Instagram post, alongside a picture of Dowden, Gill wrote that he is so "grateful" to her for "everything she’s done as my partner to date", and they were "so excited to work together".
He also said: "It’s been heartbreaking seeing the wonderful journey we’d begun come to a halt.
"That said, I have nothing but admiration for you. Your fight and determination are second to none.
"Your dedication to your art shines through in your passion for what you love. You would literally give anything to be on that ballroom floor dancing and I feel truly honoured to have shared it with you for six weeks.
"Thank you for your patience and support through every week. Thank you for trusting me with your creativity, doing everything in your power to enhance my ability and make it resonate on a Saturday night.
"Thank you for being the best teacher and helping me to fall in love with new styles of dance week after week after week.
"You are one of life’s special people and although our strictly journey ends here, you will dance again and I know it won’t be the end of our partnership.
"Our memories and moments will forever be in Strictly history and I have no doubt you’ll be back, stronger and better than ever. God bless you always."
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On Monday evening, Dowden said on Instagram that her heart is "breaking" as she revealed a foot injury prevented her attempts to compete for the 2024 glitterball trophy.
She also thanked her dance partner Gill for being the "perfect partner", describing him as a "talented, kind, gentle soul".
Dowden had already skipped one week of the competition at the weekend, when she watched Gill and Oakley dance to a Bruno Mars medley and earned the joint highest score of this year’s series from the Elstree studio.
The previous weekend, she was taken to hospital as a "precaution" after "feeling unwell" following the live show and missed the Sunday results programme, her representative said at the time.
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On Monday, a Strictly spokesperson announced she would not continue, saying: "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."
Dowden announced in 2023 that she was undergoing treatment for stage three breast cancer including having a mastectomy and chemotherapy.
In February, she revealed 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.
Source: Press Association
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