Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden has opened up about her health battle and how she feared celebrities wouldn’t want to dance with her because of the condition
Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has revealed the heartbreaking reason she worried celebrities wouldn’t want to be paired with her. The Welsh dancer joined the beloved BBC programme in 2017 and has been partnered with the likes of Brian Conley, Tom Fletcher and Tom Skinner.
This year, she danced with celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, though the duo became the first couple to be eliminated. Away from the dance floor, the 36-year-old has courageously spoken about her cancer journey, which saw her sit out the 2023 series while undergoing breast cancer treatment, as well as her ongoing battle with Crohn’s disease.
She recently discussed Crohn’s, a chronic condition causing inflammation in the digestive system, on The Lewis Nicholls Show on YouTube and confessed she was initially terrified to tell anyone about her diagnosis.
The dancer kept her condition under wraps early in her career as choreographers and partners considered her a “risk” who could potentially miss work during flare-ups.
Amy explained: “I was scared celebrities would not want to dance with me because of it. And I really wanted to make my name as a dancer. But looking back, I was so selfish and silly, and I find it so important nowadays to use my platform and raise awareness in the right way.
“For two years I didn’t help anybody because I wanted to become Amy the dancer.” Crohn’s disease can trigger symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhoea and exhaustion.
Amy has also endured severe flare-ups requiring hospital treatment. She has campaigned tirelessly to raise awareness of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
In 2025, she received an MBE in recognition of her services to dance and her efforts raising awareness of Crohn’s disease.
Despite her elimination from the show, Amy made an emotional comeback to Strictly at the weekend, stepping in for Delta Goodrem.
Delta was forced to withdraw from Icons Week due to a rib injury, with the news confirmed by Lorraine Kelly.
Following her original departure, former Strictly pro Brendan Cole brutally claimed she was no longer “up” for the challenge. He told Sky Vegas that she hadn’t “been doing a very good job for the last few years” on the programme.
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