Amy Dowden returns to Strictly Come Dancing after injury
11 April 2025, 15:51
Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Amy Dowden has been confirmed as returning for the show's 2025 series after being forced to pull out midway through last year's competition.
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Dowden, 34, will be joined by two new professional dancers, according to the BBC.
Dancers including last year's winner Dianne Buswell, who won the series with blind comedian Chris McCausland, Katya Jones and Aljaz Skorjanec will be back when the show returns in the autumn.
Also returning to the professional dancing cast for 2025 will be Nadiya Bychkova, Karen Hauer, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Gorka Marquez, Luba Mushtuk, Jowita Przystal, Johannes Radebe, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley, Michelle Tsiakkas and Vito Coppola.
Speaking about Strictly's return, Sarah James, an executive producer said: "The excitement is already building ahead of the new series and in addition to welcoming back our fantastic returning pros.
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"We are looking forward to welcoming two brand new professional dancers to the line-up who will help bring another unforgettable series of dazzling dance and loads more besides to viewers later in 2025."
After her return was announced, Dowden posted on Instagram: "So grateful to be back on the best show on TV for my ninth year with my Strictly family.
"This show means everything to me, through the highs and my all-time lows, it truly got me through my toughest of times. The show is pure magic and good for the soul. I'm feeling stronger than ever.
"The countdown begins to be back in the rehearsal room with my Strictly family. Who else is counting down the days?"
It comes after Welsh dancer Dowden began last year's series of the BBC dancing show with JLS singer JB Gill as her celebrity partner but was forced to pull out midway through after suffering a foot injury.
The injury came after Dowden returned to competing on the show after undergoing treatment for breast cancer, including having a mastectomy and chemotherapy.
In February last year, she revealed that tests showed she had "no evidence of disease", and later fronted a BBC show which delved into her condition.
Kalpna Patel-Knight, head of entertainment at the BBC said: "The Strictly professional dancers are the beating heart of the programme, showcasing to viewers in every corner of the UK their world-class talent by lighting up the famous Strictly ballroom every Saturday and Sunday night. Here's to another fabulous series."
Strictly was the BBC's most popular unscripted show last year amassing 8.8 million viewers across the series, with more than 10 million tuning into the final.
More details for Strictly Come Dancing's upcoming series, including the two new professional dancers, will be revealed later in the year.
It comes after the show faced a storm of negative stories about the culture on the flagship programme and the treatment of contestants, ahead of last year's series.
A BBC investigation was launched into allegations of misconduct made by former contestant Amanda Abbington about her professional dance partner during her time on the show, Giovanni Pernice.
The Italian dancer left the show after the claims, and the investigation upheld "some, but not all" of the complaints made.
Fellow dancer Graziano Di Prima also left the show after claims about his alleged conduct made by former dance partner Zara McDermott.
