Strictly's JB Gill makes a surprising admission about new dance partner Lauren Oakley as he shares a major health update on Amy Dowden after her health scare

JB Gill has revealed that he's 'learning to adapt' to a different style of dancing with his new partner Lauren Oakley, after she was forced to step in to replace Amy Dowden.

The JLS star, 37, has been given a new professional partner for Icons Week, after Amy was taken to hospital after collapsing backstage on Saturday.

JB said that learning his latest routine with a new professional has been made slightly easier by the fact that he and Lauren, 33, will be dancing a Couple's Choice, meaning less of the routine is in hold. 

Speaking to OJ Bord during Scott Mills' show on BBC Radio 2, he said: '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. 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.'

This weekend, JB and Lauren will perform a Couple's Choice to a Bruno Mars medey, as this year's couples pay tribute to some of the biggest icons in music history. 

JB also revealed that his previous dance partner Amy is 'taking time to get better,' after it was revealed she'd be missing the next live show after collapsing backstage during the live show over the weekend.

He continued: 'We’ve been able to build an incredible rapport over the last six or 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.'

Icons Week will be JB and Lauren's first dance together in a live show after the professional star stepped in to take over from Amy, after the Welsh dancer was forced to take a break from the BBC show after being rushed to hospital on Saturday evening after filming. 

Paramedics were called to the show's Hertfordshire base after 9:00pm on Saturday evening following reports of a 'medical emergency.'

Moments earlier the dancer had performed the Foxtrot to Toploader hit Dancing In The Moonlight with her celebrity partner, JLS star JB Gill.

The pair climbed to number five on the Strictly leaderboard after being awarded a collective score of 32 from show judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel-Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke.

A statement from Dowden's spokesperson confirmed: 'Amy was feeling unwell and so an ambulance was called as a precaution.

'She is feeling much better and would like to thank the Strictly family for their love and concern.'

They added: 'We request Amy's privacy in matters of health is kindly respected.'

Amy's world came crashing down when she was diagnosed with cancer the day after she came home from her honeymoon with dancer husband Ben Jones in 2023.

While she hoped it could be cured by surgery, two months later in June doctors found another type of cancer.

In what became the toughest year of her life, the professional dancer underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy, fertility treatment and also almost died of sepsis.

Amy, who also battles Crohn's disease, confirmed she was cancer-free in February.