If it wasn't for a nasty injury caused by a rugby tackle, Strictly's JB Gill may never have been the fourth member of boyband JLS or appeared on the BBC talent show. Singer JB Gill is currently taking part in the 20th anniversary series of Strictly Come Dancing . He's partnered with professional dancer Amy Dowden , who is making her celebrated return to the show following her battle with breast cancer.
JB, 37, is used to performing on stage thanks to being part of the hugely successful boyband JLS. He also took part in the Strictly Christmas special 12 years ago, which gave him a taster of what it would be like in the ballroom on the main edition of the talent show. "I danced in the Strictly Christmas special over a decade ago and loved it, so when I got the call to join Strictly this year, it was an immediate yes from me," he said.
"I'm raring to go to and looking forward to showing off some new skills to the JLS boys." Life could have looked very different for JB though if he'd followed his original career path that he had his heart set on as a lad. When he was at secondary school he showed a talent for rugby and decided he wanted to play it professionally.
His mum, Cynthia Gill revealed that he had a real passion for the game: "Rugby was the main sport in winter [in his secondary school] and he took to that like a duck to water," she told the Express in 2022. He joined union club, London Irish and "was on a trajectory to playing professionally," according to Cynthia. The c.