Strictly Come Dancing star, Amy Dowden, has bravely opened up about her breast cancer treatment and the impact it had on her career
Much-loved dancer, Amy Dowden, has made a heartbreaking confession about Strictly following her cancer treatment. The Welsh star, 35, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 before undergoing her second mastectomy a year later, has spoken candidly about her health, earning her widespread praise from fans.
The fan favourite, who has endured gruelling rounds of chemotherapy since her diagnosis, came back to Strictly two years ago, when she was partnered with JLS’ JB Gill. However, Amy had to pull out due to a foot injury. She then came back last year where she danced alongside Apprentice star, Thomas Skinner, who left the show after the first vote-off.
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In a new interview, Amy has revealed she almost didn’t return to Strictly as she heartbreakingly admits she thought about retiring. Telling former Busted member Matt Willis on his podcast On The Mend, she was ready to “hang up my dancing shoes”, she confessed: “I’d lost everything as a dancer, my flexibility, my speed – everything I worked 20 years for.”
Praising her husband and fellow Strictly star, Carlos Gu, for helping her find the strength to carry on, she said: “My body had been through everything so I knew I wasn’t who I was.
“I was ready to hang up my dancing shoes and my husband and my dear friend, Carlos Gu said ‘No’. “Cancer’s taken so much, it’s not taking your dancing back. You can do this’.”
Amy admitted that her passion for dancing on the show inspired her recovery, explaining: “I also knew how much I loved dance, and that spark, and the joy it was giving my family again, and the joy it gave me.
“I knew that I’ve got to process everything I’ve been through and get myself as fit and strong and as happy as I possibly can be, to be back truly loving what I love most.
“And I worked so hard on that last year, and I got to go out on tour reborn.”
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The Welsh star, who is going on tour this year with her best friend, Carlos, credited her partnership with former McFly frontman, Tom Fletcher, in the 2021 series as life-saving, thanks to his introduction to the work his wife, Giovanna, does with breast cancer awareness charity CoppaFeel.
Speaking to former Busted star Willis, she confessed: “I have to admit, I’m going to have to be team McFly, because if it wasn’t for Tom Fletcher, I wouldn’t be alive.”
Teasing her return to the new series of Strictly, which starts in September, she concluded: “Fingers crossed, I don’t know yet, I’ll be returning to the Strictly dance floor, but at the same time, I’ll be doing all I can to help others raise awareness for breast cancer.”
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