Strictly’s JB Gill breaks silence on Amy Dowden’s collapse and reveals challenges with new partner Lauren

STRICTLY’S JB Gill has broken his silence about his difficult training week after his pro partner Amy Dowden collapsed.

This Saturday, the show’s first ever Icons Week, JB will take to the dancefloor with Lauren Oakley for the first time as Amy takes a week off after falling ill.

BBC

BBC

Amy, who has Chron’s Disease and has just completed treatment for breast cancer, collapsed on Saturday night shortly after performing on the live show.

It meant JB appeared on the results show alone while she was rushed to hospital to be checked over.

Speaking to OJ Borg on BBC Radio Two today, JB said of his partnership with Amy: “We’ve been able to build an incredible rapport over the last six/seven weeks and it’s been great going to the training room with her and working on the new routine and, you know, for me, learning different styles – whether it’s a Ballroom style or new Latin style – and then watching that process sort of, as it builds, into the show that we put on, on the Saturday night.

“So, to not have her in rehearsals this week has been a bit surreal. But you know, the best thing […] is that she’s taken some time to get better. We’re obviously wishing her all the best as she recovers.”

While she is given time off to recover, professional dancer Lauren will be stepping in to perform with JB this week, with the pair set to perform a Couple’s Choice routine to a Bruno Mars medley.

However, the change in pro comes with its own challenges after weeks of getting used to one partner.

Discussing on how he is adapting to working with Lauren, JB revealed: “Well, of course everybody’s different and especially when you’re doing partner work – Amy’s slightly shorter than Lauren, you know, there are little sort of bits and pieces that are different for each of them.

“So for me coming into that and not, obviously, being a professional, it’s just about having to adapt to how they dance.”

“The good thing about this week is that I’m doing my couples choice, so it’s not so much Ballroom hold or Latin partner work and lifts and so on,” he added.

“It’s gonna be a bit more, I guess, individual side by side, because it’s icons week this weekend on the show and we’re gonna have a chance to express ourselves together.

“So actually, I feel like it’s gonna be a good way for me to, you know, to approach obviously the changes that we’ve had this week.”

Strictly Week Seven - Icons Week Dances Revealed

Here's what we can expect as the stars return to the dancefloor for week seven

• Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell: Tango to Rock And Roll All Nite by KISS
• Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas: Samba to Faith by George Michael
• JB Gill and Lauren Oakley: Couple’s Choice to Bruno Mars Medley by Bruno Mars
• Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe: Waltz to I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston
• Pete Wicks and Jowita Przytal: Salsa to Another One Bites The Dust by Queen
• Sam Quek and Nikita Kuzmin: American Smooth to Love Story (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift
• Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola: Cha Cha to Like A Prayer by Madonna
• Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu: Quickstep to Help! by The Beatles
• Tasha Ghouri and Aljaz Skorjanec: Couple’s Choice to What About Us by P!nk
• Wynne Evans and Katya Jones: Rumba to This is My Life by Shirley Bassey