Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden, who missed out on having a celebrity partner last year amid her treatment for breast cancer, said she was “so happy” after her performance during the series first live show. After their first performance, Welsh dancer Dowden and her partner JLS singer JB Gill were awarded 31 points from the judges for their waltz to When I Need You by singer Leo Sayer. Dowden, who disclosed her cancer diagnosis in May 2023, which was subsequently followed by chemotherapy and a mastectomy, said: “I am so happy I could burst.
” Head judge Shirley Ballas told the dancer: “Amy, you’re home where you belong and I have to say that choreography was absolutely outstanding.” DIY SOS star Nick Knowles, who was celebrating his 62nd birthday, and his dance partner, Luba Mushtuk, opened the show with a jive to We Built This City by Starship. Judge Anton Du Beke said they were “uplifting” and added that he felt “elated” after watching their performance, which scored 18 points from the judges.
After their performance Knowles was given a cake from professional dancer Carlos Gu who, appearing in a high-vis jacket and builder’s hat, grabbed a piece of the cake and pushed it in Knowles’ face. Elsewhere former field hockey player Sam Quek and Nikita Kuzmin performed a foxtrot to Where Did Our Love Go by The Supremes. Quek, who was given 23 points by the judges, was told by Motsi Mabuse that she was “shining” while Ballas told her she had.