Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden enjoyed a heartwarming reunion with head judge Shirley Ballas this week, as the pair came together for a charitable occasion. The event coincided with preparations for the show's highly anticipated nationwide tour, which is set to kick off imminently.
A Glamorous Gathering for a Good Cause
The 35-year-old dancer was pictured beaming alongside Shirley Ballas and fellow Strictly professional Carlos Gu at the UK Open Dance Festival on Wednesday. Shirley shared the joyful snapshot on her Instagram, captioning it with affection for her colleagues. Amy Dowden certainly made a style statement at the event, looking sensational in a striking velvet royal blue gown. The strapless design featured a plunging neckline, perfectly showcasing her toned figure.
Tour Line-Up Revealed Amid Notable Absences
Interestingly, neither Amy nor her close friend Carlos Gu will be participating in this year's Strictly Come Dancing live tour. This is despite Carlos's recent triumph in the last series, where he lifted the Glitterball Trophy with his celebrity partner, former footballer Karen Carney. Fans attending the tour across the UK will instead be treated to a selection of standout routines from the most recent series.
The tour will feature performances from several popular pairings, including:
- La Voix and Aljaž Škorjanec performing their paso doble and salsa
- Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Karen Hauer dancing the cha-cha and salsa
- George Clarke and Alexis Warr with their Charleston and Viennese waltz
- Lewis Cope and Katya Jones presenting their Couple's Choice and Charleston
- Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Lauren Oakley taking to the floor with a quickstep and cha-cha
- Ellie Goldstein and Vito Coppola performing a salsa and their Couple's Choice
- Kai and Vicky dancing their Couple's Choice and tango
- Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin reuniting for an Argentine tango and their show dance
Controversy and Early Exit for Amy's Partner
Amy Dowden's own journey on the latest season of Strictly Come Dancing concluded earlier than hoped. Her celebrity partner, Thomas Skinner from The Apprentice, became the first contestant to be eliminated from the competition. Skinner's casting had already sparked controversy due to his outspoken Right-wing views, and the situation intensified when he publicly confessed to cheating on his wife shortly after their wedding.
Despite his declining popularity with the viewing public, Thomas Skinner later made serious allegations against the BBC. He claimed the corporation had rigged the public vote to ensure his early exit following the affair scandal. In a lengthy social media post last month, Skinner stated he had received an anonymous email purportedly from a BBC executive, containing statistics that contradicted the official voting results.
Poll Contradicts Claims of Vote Rigging
Subsequent reports presented a different picture entirely. An independent exit poll conducted by the website Strictly Spoiler, which surveyed 125,000 viewers separately from the official BBC vote, suggested Skinner received just 1.4% of the public vote. The poll indicated clear evidence of his unpopularity, showing he garnered only 1,805 votes—the lowest of all contestants.
In the wake of this controversy, Amy Dowden expressed her disappointment that Thomas Skinner failed to attend the Strictly Come Dancing finale. Speaking on ITV's Lorraine programme, she revealed the last time she had spoken to him was shortly before the final, and he had not mentioned his absence. Amy explained she was dealing with personal grief at the time, having recently lost her dance teacher, Phillip Perry, whom she described as like a second dad.
I was really upset on Thursday and still am, Amy shared emotionally. I owe my entire dancing career and everything to him. So my mind was elsewhere. To be honest, I was just gutted Thomas missed out on what was an incredibly fun, exciting final. I would have loved for him to be there.
Regrets and Reflections
Thomas Skinner later issued a statement, since deleted but reported by The Mirror, in which he expressed deep regret about participating in Strictly Come Dancing. While admitting he was not perfect and had made mistakes, he maintained his conviction about the voting being manipulated. He insisted the only positive from his experience was forming a friendship with professional partner Amy Dowden, whom he described as a genuinely lovely person.
Skinner claimed to remain on good terms with the BBC, acknowledging the corporation had given him his big break years earlier on The Apprentice. He concluded by stating his intention to focus on his family, his children, and his beautiful wife, while returning to his daily work routine.
