Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in May 2023 and has undergone chemotherapy, hormone therapy and a mastectomy
Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden has candidly admitted she may have rushed her return to the beloved BBC dance competition. The Welsh dancer, 35, received a devastating stage three breast cancer diagnosis in May 2023 when she was just 32.
Her gruelling treatment regime included chemotherapy, hormone therapy and a mastectomy as she bravely battled the illness.
Last year saw Amy make her comeback to Strictly, partnered with Apprentice star Thomas Skinner, though their journey proved short-lived as they became the first pair eliminated from the 2025 series.
Just one month following her departure from the competition, Amy underwent a second preventative mastectomy in November 2025, reports Wales Online.
Reflecting nearly six months after her exit from the show, Amy has confessed her eagerness to reclaim her former life may have clouded her judgement. In conversation with the i newspaper, she revealed: “I went back too soon. But it’s so hard. You just want your life back.”
“It takes a long time to recover from the chemo but because you feel a little bit better every day afterwards, it’s so difficult to tell when you’re really ‘back’.”
This isn’t Amy’s first occasion discussing both the psychological and physical battles she’s endured whilst attempting to return to her passion following her diagnosis.
During a December interview with the BBC, she poignantly acknowledged the permanent transformation she’s undergone.
She confessed: “I’m no longer the person I was, and that’s not by choice…. I never thought I was going to get back on the dancefloor. I just longed for that old Amy back and I know I’m never, ever going to get her back.”
Whilst Amy, from Caerphilly, Wales, continues her brave battle against cancer, she has also opened up about her feelings towards the prospect of motherhood.
Amy tied the knot with fellow dancer Ben Jones in 2022, but her cancer treatment necessitated an early onset of hormone-induced menopause. Although the couple have preserved five embryos, it remains uncertain whether Amy will become a mum.
In a candid chat with the Mirror, Amy expressed her desire to be a mum, but acknowledged that it’s a hurdle she’ll tackle when the time comes.
She shared: “Obviously, there is a big, dark cloud over me. Will I become a mother? I’ve wanted to be a mummy since I was a little girl.
“I was one of those girls who would always have a little baby Annabelle. And I have two gorgeous nephews, who I love to pieces. But we will cross that bridge when it comes to it and I will explore every option going.”
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