Amy Dowden has confirmed that she's battling illness just days before she's scheduled to return to the BBC ballroom with Thomas Skinner. During her appearance on It Takes Two alongside Thomas, Amy appeared more subdued than usual, with presenter Janette Manrara acknowledging that she hadn't been feeling particularly well.

"Amy, I know you're a little bit under the weather so excuse Amy today but he made you a beautiful drink to help you out," Janette said. A croaky Amy responded, "With turmeric, ginger, pepper," while Janette added, "I won't make you talk too much."

Viewers flocked to social media following their It Takes Two appearance to send Amy their best wishes, with one posting: "And now poor Amy has the lurgy girl can't catch a break #strictly." Amy discussed feeling unwell earlier this week, informing her Instagram followers: "So Tom has made me a drink because I've been a bit under the weather this week, haven't I? Tom - tell everybody, what's in here?"

Tom replied: "Bless you. I've made her my famous juice I take when I have a sore throat. Especially when I get up early in the morning for the market and it's cold. It's warm milk with manuka honey, black pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, and a little bit of nutmeg. All shaken up, all stirred in - will hopefully make our Amy feel better."

Chatting to Janette on It Takes Two, Thomas revealed how dramatically his lifestyle has transformed since joining the programme. "I have lost a stone since starting Strictly - I'm a stone lighter. I feel no different," he said. "I can't wait to get back in the caf. I have lost weight and I've noticed that my trousers are a little bit bigger."

Yesterday, some fans suggested that Thomas had been "set up to fail" after being assigned the challenging Salsa for this Saturday's performance. The Apprentice star will be dancing the Salsa to Bonkers by Dizzee Rascal with Amy this weekend.

One viewer commented on X: "The song for Skinner... Oh, they want him out bad," while another posted: "Oh Thomas is being set up for a fall."

A third remarked: "Two Latin dances back to back and Bonkers for a Salsa is a horrible song choice."

Strictly Come Dancing resumes on Saturday, 4 October, on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.