Strictly's Amy Dowden issues message to JB Gill hours before he performs without her

Amy Dowden has issued a message of support to her partner JB Gill hours before he performs with stand-in Lauren Oakley in tonight's show.

"Wishing these two the absolute best of luck tonight! I’m going to be your biggest cheerleader!," wrote

Talking directly to her dance partner JB Gill, Amy said: "JB it says everything how you’ve been able to adapt to a new professional, produce such a great number ( so excited for everyone to see) whilst supporting me! I’m so lucky! You’re a STAR! I know what tonight means to you! Thank you!"

And to fellow professional dancer Lauren who is standing in for her tonight, Amy said: "Thank you, I knew Jay would be in safe hands and have a fabulous time with you! You know I’ve always adored your dancing since I ran up to you in Blackpool tower at 8 years old to tell you! Thank you darling!"

She went to thanks to the Strictly choreographers for "such a brilliant routine! LOVE IT! Thank you! Also a big thank you for all the love and support I’ve received this past week. So grateful and certainly helped! Now tune into the first ever ICONS week on strictly!"

The message came hours after Amy made a surprise appearance on It Takes Two on Friday night to discuss her recent health scare.

The much-loved professional dancer missed Sunday’s results programme after being taken to Barnet Hospital from the One show’s production centre, Elstree Studios, as a “precaution” after the star began “feeling unwell”.

On Friday, Dowden appeared on BBC spin-off series It Takes Two alongside her celebrity partner JB and Lauren Oakley/ “I’m feeling so much better and I’d just like to thank everyone for all the love and support I’ve received and to my Strictly family – feeling much better,” the dancer told host BBC Two Janette Manrara.

Gill and Oakley will be performing a couple’s choice during a Bruno Mars-themed performance on Saturday.

“I’m just so proud and so grateful for Lauren,” Amy said. “They’ve worked so hard, and JB’s just been so supportive of me and just knuckled down.”

Amy also said the pair had been sending her "videos and messages” all week with updates on his progress in a chat they titled “Team”, alongside a star emoji.

Host Manrara said it was nice to see Amy “looking well”. A BBC spokesperson previously said: “We are all hopeful that Amy will be back to dance with JB next week.”

Amy returned to the competition this year after undergoing treatment for breast cancer, including having a mastectomy and chemotherapy.

It came after the dancer found a lump in her breast while on her honeymoon in the Maldives with fellow professional dancer Ben Jones. She was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer and, after treatment, in February announced that tests showed she has “no evidence of disease”.

Dowden documented her experience after seeing the impact on others of her documentary discussing her Crohn’s disease, and how it had helped her “accept” her own condition for the “first time ever”.

She fronted the BBC programme Strictly Amy: Crohn’s And Me, in which she spoke about her condition and met other people with Crohn’s to hear about their experiences. The lifelong condition, in which parts of the digestive system become inflamed, can cause stomach aches and cramps, fatigue and diarrhoea, among other symptoms, according to the website.

During the Strictly live tour in 2022, Dowden was admitted to hospital in Manchester after a Crohn’s flare-up.