Amy Dowden says her, JB Gill and Lauren Oakley are Strictly ‘dream team’

Professional dancer Amy Dowden from Strictly Come Dancing praised her celebrity partner, JLS singer JB Gill, and fellow dancer Lauren Oakley, calling them a "true dream team" while appearing on the live show tonight.

From the studio, presenter Claudia Winkleman was seen alongside the 34-year-old dancer, who wore an all-black outfit and a poppy. The dancer cheered on the couples as they made their way up the stairs, having been unable to perform in tonight’s episode because of illness.

The professional dancer did not participate in last Sunday’s results show because she was taken to Barnet Hospital from the production center of the BBC One program at Elstree Studios. This was done as a "precaution" after she started to feel unwell.

Oakley, 33, who doesn’t have a partner for this year's edition of the BBC dance competition, will take her place to perform a medley of Bruno Mars songs alongside Gill in Saturday's episode.

Looking at Dowden, Winkleman inquired, “You three worked on this together earlier this week, right?”

The dancer responded, "Absolutely, it's been a fantastic collaboration. There was even a moment when Lauren messaged me, asking, 'J, would you like a coffee?' And I replied, 'Yes, I’d love a vanilla latte, please.'"

This follows Dowden's post on Instagram where he wished Oakley and Gill "the very best of luck."

Reality TV personality Pete Wicks and his partner Jowita Przystal kicked off the show with a dance to Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust." They received a score of only 22 points, with head judge Shirley Ballas noting that their routine had "a considerable number of errors."

Following the salsa dance, Wicks was overheard apologizing to Przystal, who responded with, "That's alright."

Ballas commented on the performance: "What an incredible way to kick off the show! You really captured the essence of Freddie Mercury beautifully."

"Pay attention – I won't be overly critical here. Let me explain that while you did make several errors, it's important to acknowledge that we all recognize them. We can all see where things went wrong."

"What really stood out to me was how you handled the situation. Even though you started off on the wrong foot, you kept going without missing a beat."

Next up were opera singer Wynne Evans and his professional partner Katya Jones, who performed a rhumba to Dame Shirley Bassey’s "This Is My Life" and ended up with a score of 30.

Following the show, Evans expressed, “I've always been candid about my battles with mental well-being."

I've experienced both challenging moments and joyful ones. Throughout my journey on Strictly, I've learned a valuable lesson from Katya: it’s essential to have faith in ourselves and to prioritize self-love.

"If there are people at home tonight feeling a bit low, no matter the reason, it's important to recognize the love for ourselves that we all need to discover. I'm learning this myself."

Former Olympic hockey athlete Sam Quek received a score of 29 for her performance of the American Smooth alongside partner Nikita Kuzmin, dancing to Taylor Swift's "Love Story."

Judge Motsi Mabuse commented on the performance, saying, "I believe she has every reason to celebrate today."

Sure! Here’s a rewritten version of that section: "Over the past couple of weeks, you've encountered a few challenges."

"They're all over the place, experiencing highs and lows, and you've been facing some challenges in establishing a consistent routine."

"I feel like you really nailed it this week. The energy of your presentation reminded me of Romeo and Juliet, but with a happy ending. I'm really pleased with that!"