Strictly's Lauren Oakley responds to Amy Dowden's emotional exit statement
Dowden said her "heart is breaking" over bowing out of the 2024 season.
Strictly Come Dancing's Lauren Oakley has responded to an emotional statement shared by fellow professional Amy Dowden, who is bowing out of the latest season early due to a foot injury.
Dowden had been open about her breast cancer battle that required her to skip the 2023 edition entirely, which was complicated further by sepsis and a blood clot on her lung.
It was a long journey back to performing on Strictly, but sadly, her run on this year's show has been "cut short" after Dowden sustained a foot injury, with Oakley stepping in to dance with her former partner JB Gill.
In an Instagram comment, Oakley said: "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."
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She was responding to an emotional statement from Dowden, in which the dancer opened up on how difficult it was to say goodbye to the show, which had been a major motivation for her during her recovery.
"My heart is breaking right now," Dowden wrote. "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 to... 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. Then I was partnered with the talented, kind, gentle soul, JB. Every day our training room was chilled, hardworking and full of big smiles, enjoying what we [were] creating together with a blossoming friendship."
Dowden continued: "JB: Thank you for being the perfect partner back. We topped the leaderboard [in] week one and continued to work so hard, and thank you for being so passionate about understanding the ballroom and Latin fundamentals. For me, that rumba will always be one of my [favourites].
"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. To all the fans, to my loved ones, my Strictly family: Thank you."
Dowden also shared her warm wishes for Gill and Oakley's future performances, saying that she knows they will "continue to ace that dance floor" and that she will "forever be your biggest cheerleader".
The dancer had initially hoped to only take one week off from Strictly after collapsing backstage after a live show and being admitted to hospital, but it was later confirmed that she would be out for the rest of the season.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday 9th November 2024.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
