By OLIVIA WHEELER FOR MAILONLINE Published: 10:32 EDT, 21 October 2020 | Updated: 10:46 EDT, 21 October 2020 Strictly's Amy Dowden put on an animated display as she joined celebrity

partner, JJ Chalmers, for rehearsals in London on Wednesday.  It comes as the professional dancer, 30, emotionally shared her gruelling battle with Crohn's disease in her new

documentary Strictly Amy: Crohn's And Me. Amy was spotted heading to rehearsals with JJ, 33, on Wednesday after they were partnered up on Saturday's launch show of Strictly.  The

dancer, who stayed cautious amid the coronavirus crisis by wearing a patterned face mask, cut a low-key figure in a pair of black flared leggings with a T-shirt which said 'dance'

animated display and later hugged each other goodbye. The Strictly pairs have formed their own individual 'bubbles' for training and performances.   And they weren't the only

pair to rehearse as Made In Chelsea star Jamie Laing posted a picture at rehearsals with pro partner Karen Hauer. Curled up on crushed pink velvet chairs, Jamie penned: 'Don't

worry we're [100% emoji] ready.'   It comes after Amy shared details of her gruelling battle with potentially deadly Crohn's disease in a new documentary. The 30-year-old

dancer emotionally opened up about her illness in BBC film Strictly Amy: Crohn's And Me. She said: 'Strictly has been more than a dance show to me, it got me through the darkest

times of my illness. For me it was a big inspiration to keep me dancing.  'Dancing has pulled me through my Crohn's but it's a battle. I live in fear that what I love the most

could be taken away. And I've been more ill this year than I have been in a long time.' The Welsh beauty, who made it to the Strictly final last year with Karim Zeroual, went into

detail about her living with the long-term condition, which causes inflammation of the lining of the digestive system.  She filmed her hospitalisation with the illness this spring, which

occurred at the height of the COVID-19 lockdown and came months before the new Strictly series. In heartbreaking scenes, she is seen vomiting and passing out after finishing up work on the

most recent Strictly tour; she was subsequently rushed to hospital.  Amy – who was first experienced symptoms at 11, eight years before she was diagnosed at the age of 19 – said that it

showed the stark contrast between her glamorous TV appearances and her real life. She said: 'To the public watching me with all our make-up, fake tan, glitz, glamour and spotlights,

it's a different world. I don't think they could ever imagine this could be me the next day. 'I knew things weren't right but your body goes: "Right you've got

to get through this, you don't want to let anyone down, you can do this." And you can just push yourself through anything.' 'I can't think of how many times

I've been in hospital. It's got to be at least over 100 times. When I was 18 or 19 it was every month at least for a week.'   The teary star added: 'All the time I spent

in hospital when I was younger, it was like my second home. I associate it with pain. I don't have any happy memories. 'I remember begging doctors to cut me open to take my stomach

out. I used to be in so much pain, it used to make me pass out. It was just like a knife stabbing me. 'I got to one night and I think it was three or four o'clock in the morning,

I was just covered in sick. I'd had enough. I rang my parents and said: "I'm going." I said to them "I can't do this anymore." I was just in so much pain.

"I said, "I'm done, I can't fight this anymore," and my parents were at the hospital half an hour later.' Amy, who joined Strictly in 2017, admitted that she

celebrated once she was finally diagnosed with the disease, as it meant that she could seek the correct treatment. After landing a coveted gig as a dancer on Strictly, one of the first of

her colleagues Amy confided in was Oti Mabuse.  She said: 'On my first season I shared an apartment with Oti - and I opened my bathroom cabinet to get toothpaste and she gasped and

said, "What is all this?" 'All my meds were there. I can remember sitting on the bed and telling her and she got really emotional.' She has since received much support

from the show's head judge Shirley Ballas, who empathised with her woes as she has a niece living with Crohn's.   Away from the show, Amy has also enjoyed success with her fiancé

Ben Jones, who is also her professional dance partner, having been crowned the British National Champions in Latin American Dance. However, their plans to wed this year, as well as embark on

a dance tour of the UK together, hit a major stumbling block with the advent of the COVID-19 lockdown and Amy's hospitalisation with Crohn's.  She said: 'Over lockdown I had

one of the worst flair ups I have ever experienced. For weeks I was in pain unable to eat, and drifting in and out of consciousness. 'I was stabilised with morphine and steroids. Slowly

I started to get better. But it was June before I was back on my feet.' Despite the setbacks she has endured, the star insisted that popular BBC ballroom show Strictly has proved to be

her 'saviour' in recent years.  The star enthused: 'Dance has definitely been my saviour. It's got me through my lowest points. That's what's saved me and kept

me going. And finally my childhood dreams became true. 'I often stand there just before I dance and think: "Look how far I've come." You can tell I'm always in my

element. In fact people say, "Why do you smile so much?" Because I love it.' For support with the disease contact Crohn's and Colitis UK charity on 0300 222 5700 or visit

www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk    CROHN'S DISEASE EXPLAINED Crohn's disease is a long-term condition that causes inflammation of the lining of the digestive system. Inflammation most

commonly occurs in the last section of the small or large intestine but it can affect any part of the digestive system.  Common symptoms can include: * diarrhoea * abdominal pain * fatigue

(extreme tiredness) * unintended weight loss * blood and mucus in your faeces (stools) Remission occurs when people with the disease go long periods of time without symptoms however these

periods can be followed by flare ups of symptoms.   Why it happens The exact cause of Crohn's disease is unknown. However, research suggests a combination of factors may be responsible.

These include: genetics – genes you inherit from your parents may increase your risk of developing Crohn's disease the immune system – the inflammation may be caused by a problem with

the immune system that causes it to attack healthy bacteria in the gut previous infection – a previous infection may trigger an abnormal response from the immune system smoking – smokers

with Crohn's disease usually have more severe symptoms than non-smokers environmental factors – Crohn's disease is most common in westernised countries such as the UK, and least

common in poorer parts of the world such as Africa, which suggests the environment has a part to play  Source: NHS