Express & Star

Dudley's Amy is through to next show of Strictly Come Dancing

Black Country dancer Amy Dowden and her celebrity partner Brian Conley waltzed through to the next round of Strictly Come Dancing.

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Amy Dowden and Brian Conley

The 26-year-old from Dudley performed the Paso Doble to I Believe in a Thing Called Love by The Darkness with the Time After Time actor on Saturday night.

The pair's performance kept them out of the bottom two in the public vote, thereby sparing them the dance-off to stay in the competition.

The judges had marked them third bottom, scoring 21 points.

Judge Bruno Tonioli had dubbed the performance 'punko doble'.

Earlier there had been drama for the pair, with Conley falling over as he appeared on BBC 2’s Strictly preview show It Takes Two, along with Miss Dowden.

Brian missed a step and slumped forwards onto his knees as he was greeted by presenter Zoe Ball.

Brian laughed while clutching his back as he stood back up and called Miss Dowden ‘so naughty’ for allegedly tripping him up.

Miss Dowden runs an academy called Art in Motion, which runs classes in Tipton, Wombourne and Great Barr.

She moved from Caerphilly in south Wales six years ago to Dudley, where she lives with partner Ben Jones in Oakham.

Miss Dowden also teaches at Hallfield School in Edgbaston.

Richard Batchelor, headmaster at Hallfield School, said: “We’re so proud of how far Amy has come.

"Both Amy and Ben have been a real asset to the school since they started teaching her five years ago so we will be following her journey on Strictly intently.

"She has certainly got the support of everyone here at Hallfield.”

Good Morning Britain presenter Charlotte Hawkins and soap star Davood Ghadami faced each other in the dance-off., with the TV presenter coming bottom and leaving the show.

Last night's results show featured a musical performance from American singer and songwriter, Gregory Porter singing a cover of the Nat King Cole song, Smile.

Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 6.35pm on BBC One.