BBC Strictly Come Dancing's JB Gill five-word message to Amy Dowden

JB Gill has spoken out about his Strictly dance partner Amy Dowden's injury, describing it as "gutting" but is determined to do his best to make her proud. The JLS star, aged 37, impressed the judges with new partner Lauren Oakley last week and they're aiming for another show-stopping performance this Saturday night.

Despite Amy feeling she has let JB down after a foot injury forced her to withdraw from the series, JB insists that's not the case. "She definitely hasn't let anybody down," he said.

"Amy has been an incredible teacher. She has worked so hard for me and obviously it was great that we were able to establish that bond and that connection. From day one, we worked on our partnership and worked on the things that we were passionate about."

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The timing of Amy's injury is particularly poignant as this weekend marks the first anniversary of her completing chemotherapy for breast cancer. The BBC announced on Monday that she will not be participating in the remainder of the competition this year.

Reflecting on the situation, father-of-two JB expressed: "Challenges happen to every person, especially over the duration of a show like this. It's been an unfortunate circumstance but no one has been let down," reports the Mirror.

"It's gutting, like Amy says, that it's ended in this way but there's nothing we can do about that now. We continue to look forward. It's great to have her in my corner still."

He also praised Lauren, who stepped in at short notice and is friends with Amy, saying she has been fantastic to work with.

He shared: "Lauren's a great teacher. She's different to Amy but this is the situation we find ourselves in and we're ready to put our best foot forward. I think with hard work you can accomplish anything."

He remains hopeful that the audience will continue to support him and Lauren, as he hasn't given up on his dream of winning the Glitterball trophy. He added: "I hope the public will have seen the effort that has gone into all of my routines to date. From my perspective, that's not going to change. I'm still going to give 110%. Of course, I still want to be here and, if I'm able to, go all the way to the final."

The star is focusing on perfecting his steps and strengthening his bond with Lauren, 33, who joined the show in 2022 and was last year partnered with Krishnan Guru-Murthy.

He stated: "You have to control the things you can control. My issue isn't worrying about the public. Of course, you need them on side – they're the ones who are voting and we're very appreciative of their support."

"But our focus isn't really on that. Our focus is on delivering the best routine that we can."

JB says they will move forward with three people in the partnership, as he and Lauren strive to do their best, with Amy's support. He concluded: "Amy is obviously a good friend of Lauren's and has been a great partner to me, and we'll definitely have a friendship way after this show is finished, which is amazing. There are always silver linings."

Amy, 34, has been closely involved in the choreography for this week's samba, set to the rhythm of "Mas Que Nada" by Sergio Mendes. Lauren, who has taken over in Amy's absence, described the experience as "bittersweet" and expressed gratitude for the foundation laid by Amy with JB.

She shared: "It's really sad, the situation, but I feel like I just want to do my best for JB and carry him forward as far as I can. Amy sent me through some ideas and I've choreographed the dance, because if you teach something that's yours, you are the best teacher you can be, if that makes sense."

She added, "Having said that, I definitely took some pointers from Amy. But it's been nice to put my stamp on the samba and we're looking forward to performing it."

JB is optimistic about Amy's return to the show before the series concludes, saying: "I've got no doubt she'll dance again. The most important thing is she's looking after her health."