Amy Dowden has credited Strictly Come Dancing with saving her life after being declared cancer free earlier this year.
The dancing professional, 34, was diagnosed with the disease in 2023 after finding a lump in her breast – she subsequently underwent months of treatment.
That meant she missed last year’s Strictly Come Dancing competition, which was won by soap star Ellie Leach, but she did make sporadic guest appearances as her treatment and recovery continued.
With fans hoping for her big return to the ballroom this year, Amy has spoken out for the first time about how Strictly might have played an almighty role in her survival.
‘Ultimately, Strictly saved my life,’ she told the Radio Times, looking back on the time when she worked with the breast cancer charity Coppafeel with her Strictly partner Tom Fletcher and his wife Giovanna.
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In 2022, the pair hiked around the Pembrokeshire coast in Wales to raise money for breast cancer research, and that encouraged Amy to keep a closer eye on herself.
‘I was 32 years old. I was a physically fit dancer on Strictly, I’d just got married. Mammograms don’t start until you’re in your 50s. [But] I met some incredible people on that trip who’d had breast cancer in their 20s.’
She continued: ‘I was thinking, “I’m being a hypocrite, trekking to raise awareness for checking yourself and I don’t even do it!” So, she started regularly checking herself.
A few months later, Amy found a lump and was diagnosed with breast cancer – she kept fans updated throughout her treatment, which involved chemotherapy, a mastectomy, and a brief battle with sepsis.
While going through her cancer treatment, the Strictly professional also wrote a memoir, Dancing in the Rain, which is set for public release on September 5.
In an excerpt from the book which was shared MailOnline, Amy revealed the painful, private experiences she endured that followed her diagnosis in 2023.
‘My life away from Strictly was distinctly unglamorous. With each new chemo session, the next challenge was growing more and more obvious,’ she writes.
‘Before I could say goodbye to cancer, I would have to say goodbye to my hair. And I think I cried more over that than anything else.’
She continued: ‘I would have to trim it, clip it, and finally shave it completely – and then face the terrifying decision to appear on national TV with a fuzzy bald head.’
And Amy did appear on Strictly a few times, often appearing alongside hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daily to announce that the voting phone lines were open.
Later on in the series, she also appeared in some group dance routines during the live shows on Saturday night and the results show on Sunday evening.
In 2024, Amy will be back on the dancefloor in a more regular capacity, although it’s not known yet whether she’ll be partnered up with one of the celebrity names joining the competition.
Watch Strictly Come Dancing on the BBC from mid-September.
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